How much prison time can your get for false information to a police officer?

Answer 1

A false statement to a police officer will rarely land someone in jail but if the lie is discovered jail is a possibility.

The misdemeanor is not in the top 30 listed by the California Attorney General, so it is probably not frequent.

Statements that are not lies but avoid giving information are usually not actionable, such as "I don't know," "I would need to talk to my attorney," "I do not have that information right now," or "I don't remember."

Saying, for example, that you didn't see an offender's face (when you certainly did) might get you in trouble later. Saying that you did not see the offender's face clearly - no one can prove how clearly you saw anything.

Making false statements is in general a very bad idea. Lies are hard to maintain. They tend to come back at you. When lies are apparent, they focus attention back on you and make people wonder what else you are lying about. Better to say nothing than to give a lie.

Another View: While all the above is certainly true, you COULD find yourself in serious trouble if you are being questioned about a felony criminal offense and you knowingly withhold vital evidence. purposely give misleading information, or make statements that would tend to conceal the identity of the offender. In such a case you COULD be cconsidered a principle, or even an accomplice, or conspirator in the offense.

Answer 2

Rather than prison, this offense normally draws only jailtime according to whatever your state's statutes call for.