Polygamy is outlawed in the state constitution, but there are still likely hundreds of Arizonans who engage in plural marriages.
Why it matters: Some religions — namely, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS) — view plural marriage as a tenet of their faith, but several polygamist leaders have used the practice to force underage girls into marriage and commit other abuses.
Driving the news: Samuel Bateman , the leader of an Arizona polygamous offshoot of the FLDS, was sentenced to 50 years in prison last week for arranging sexual encounters with girls as young as 9 years old and for scheming to kidnap them from protective custody.
- Bateman claimed to have 20 spiritual “wives.”
The intrigue: Bateman and other polygamists who ended up in prison were convicted of child abuse, sexual assault or financial crimes — not polygamy.
The big picture: The state constitution says: “Polygamous or plural marriages, or polygamous cohabitation, are forever prohibited within this state.”