Why are not more polygamists prosecuted in the United States?
This is a matter of some debate. Because most polygamist families have only one legally-recognized marriage, generally the husband and the first wife, the remaining “marriages” are essentially just adulterous affairs in the eyes of the law. While adultery and/or fornication (i.e., sexual relations outside a marriage relationship) may be illegal “on the books,” these laws are rarely enforced given today’s social morés, and so it could be argued that if the state began prosecuting polygamist families for adultery or fornication, then it would require a widescale prosection of the practice among the general public. So prosecutions of polygamists have generally focused only on cases where minors are involved, or where there are other legal problems (tax evasion, fraud, etc.). Nevertheless, the states where polygamy is most common (particularly in Utah), the states have been criticized for their lack of initiative in prosecuting polygamists even on these viable charges of child sexual abuse
