Left, Right and Center

JANET RENO'S DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE RESEARCHERS BELIEVE STIFFER PENALTIES ARE NEEDED TO CURB EXPLOSION OF PERJURY, OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE CASES!

July 13, 1998 -- A November 1996 report by the Department of Justice calls for a "need for stronger sanctions" to curb what it considers an epidemic of perjury and obstruction of justice in the nation's courts of law:

"In a number of jurisdictions, statutes against witness tampering, suborning perjury (encouraging perjury by threats or inducements), or obstruction of justice do not carry high enough penalties to either deter or substantially punish witness intimidation... defendants are reported to feel they have little to lose -- and a great deal to gain (from perjury and obstruction)."

-DOJ Report on the Obstruction Epidemic

The report was issued by the Department of Justice's research division, the National Institute of Justice, which is charged with assessing existing DOJ policies and recommending solutions. It raised the issue of rampant lack of respect for the justice system among the nation's youth, which it suggests do not recognize the societal relevance of truthful testimony under oath. The report cited youth gang members in particular as most egregious perjurers, suborners and obstructers, due to the fact that they have seen these crimes against the court repeatedly go unpunished in cases involving other gang members.

According to the DOJ report, the only way to stem the wave of disrespect for the nation's justice system is to impose stronger sentences against perjurers and obstructers, and to do so consistently. Ann Bingaman, then Assistant Attorney General under Janet Reno, echoed the report's sentiment in a speech entitled "The Clinton Administration: Trends in Enforcement":

"We continue to prosecute vigorously obstruction of our investigations. For example, in January 1995, a defendant was sentenced to 14 months incarceration after pleading guilty to obstructing justice by falsifying an affidavit submitted to a federal grand jury. I continue to be concerned about companies and individuals attempting to obstruct our investigations. I urge you to make clients and others aware, in the event of an investigation by the Division, that the penalties for obstruction are severe, and the Division will seek the maximum penalty for obstruction of justice and perjury. We at the Division, and I personally, believe that such conduct cuts at the very heart of law enforcement, and we take it with the utmost seriousness."