Unless we enforce the truth in our public proceedings, we cannot possibly expect to secure justice for those who are entitled to our courts' protections. Truth and justice are inseparable. Justice cannot exist where false testimony is permitted. He who perjures himself to injure another commits a very grave crime, and it is fitting that he should pay for his perjury by serving the sentence he hoped to impose on someone else by his lies. One of the Ten Commandments instructs us not to bear false witness against our neighbor.
Perjuries injure people all too often in our courts.
Therefore, when liars are detected in our courts they should be severely punished to dissuade others from lying under oath, and especially where by doing so another person is put in jeopardy of paying for a crime he did not commit. Perhaps a compromise is to create sentencing guidelines for perjury, just as there are sentencing guidelines for other crimes, and adjust the punishment to fit the injury to others intended by the perjurer. A man who lies about his neighbor to extract a small sum of money in small claims court might receive a mild sentence, while one who intentionally misrepresents facts to cause another to pay for a crime of great consequence should be required to pay a greater debt to society. Keep in mind that perjury is a crime against the People who provide courts to dispense justice. Where perjury threatens the welfare of another, it is clearly a crime against that other person, but first it is a crime against all of us, because it is the highest form of disrespect for those who sacrifice to provide courts of justice where the truth should be honored.