Should you go to jail for BIGAMY?

[Papa Deuce]

A guy in my area has been arrested for bigamy. While a bad thing to do, I don't see jail as being benefical to anybody here.
`

EDIT: see my other posts in this subject. I am for him getting punishment.

 

[Beth76]

To me, bigamy seems more along the lines of having an affair. Just a big giant affair. However, if the guy has two seperate families and is claiming more than one wife on health insurance and stuff like that, I can see where insurance fraud would come into the picture.

 

[ChrisnSteph]

It's fraud, it's illegal, and it destroys lives. All bigamists should go to jail.

 

[Sparx]

Its illegal. of course he should go to jail. Now, if it wasn't illegal and he was being hauled off yeah, then complain. but the police are doing their job.

 

[diznygirl]

If I was one of the wives, I'd probably think jail would be a good place to start.....

 

[disykat]

Unfortunately our penal system costs us money to run and we do pay to lock up nonviolent offenders. While I prefer the "fine" system for nonviolent crimes, if you can't pay you have to do the time. IMO, if there's no punishment for people who break the law, they aren't really laws anymore - just suggestions.

 

[dcentity2000]

An affair is a betrayal of trust. Bigamy is more than that - it's a betrayal at law.



Rich::

 

[Papa Deuce]

Unfortunately our penal system costs us money to run and we do pay to lock up nonviolent offenders. While I prefer the "fine" system for nonviolent crimes, if you can't pay you have to do the time. IMO, if there's no punishment for people who break the law, they aren't really laws anymore - just suggestions.

Right, I am not advocating no penalty. Definitely should be a penalty. But with all the bad, violent, severe crimes, then jail seems like too much for this. Afterall, they let hardened criminals go free due to overcrowding.

 

[Papa Deuce]

Its illegal. of course he should go to jail. Now, if it wasn't illegal and he was being hauled off yeah, then complain. but the police are doing their job.

Sparx, I always admire you, especially considering your age, but I have to say, I think you are looking at it too simplistically, and like someone your age would answer.

 

[Papa Deuce]

An affair is a betrayal of trust. Bigamy is more than that - it's a betrayal at law.



Rich::

Rich, you know that many cultures and religions totally embrace bigamy, right? I know you do........

 

[dcentity2000]

Rich, you know that many cultures and religions totally embrace bigamy, right? I know you do........

Yah, but (correct me if I'm wrong) the man was American. In America, the law of the land states that bigamy is an offence. In full knowledge of that, he committed the offence.

In other words, actus reus and mens rea were both present at the same time.



Rich::

 

[Marseeya]

I think a jail term is way too harsh. I don't necessarily believe in fines either... the only people fines punish are the ones who don't have money.

How about community service?

 

[leight]

Just as devil's advocate- in many states it's illegal to have premarital sex should everyone go to jail? It's also illegal for adultery- should everyone go to jail? There are such things as degrees in law. If he was a bigamist and frauding two(or more) wives... then that is worse than a bigamist in Utah who is married to two wives in the same home who basically have consented.

I would hope that many issues would be taken into consideration by the judge before a sentence is passed

 

[Sparx]

Sparx, I always admire you, especially considering your age, but I have to say, I think you are looking at it too simplistically, and like someone your age would answer.

simplistically? I think you're digging too deeply into it. Here is a law. He broke it. He KNEW that it was against the law as much as a thief knows that stealing is. Bigamy is like an affair on a new level. He is undoubtly commiting insurance fraud and no telling how many other things. People go to jail every day, for many different things. Sometimes those people are innocent. Sometimes they dont deserve to be there. This man is not innocent. He does deserve to be there.

 

[EthansMom]

I lived in Utah for a couple years and a few of the splinter sects from the Mormon Church are still practicing bigamy. In most of those cases, the man is legally married to the first wife and any other wives have some kind of personal "contract" with the man. Here are my problems with the practices of bigamy as I've seen/heard about them: in many of the sects, the wives are 14, 15 or 16 when they are "married" to the man, who is usually much older. The marriages are often "arranged" and the girl doesn't get any choice in the matter.

Once the second, third, etc. wives have children, they apply for welfare on the basis that they are supporting X number of children, have no job and are not legally married. Ever wonder how one man, three women and twenty kids can feed themselves off one income? Yup, that's right, you're paying for it.

Now, if the guy you are referring to is one of those guys who has a "secret family" on the side and is "legally married" to two or more women, then he's just an idiot. That's illegal. And no one put a gun to his head to force him to go through two marriage ceremonies to different women.

If three grown adults want to shack up and have kids willy nilly, well, I wouldn't be too happy. But if they aren't harming their children, living off the dole, etc., well, there's really nothing illegal about that, is there?

 

[vivilasvegas]

If it's illegal, then there's always a chance for jail time. Too strict? Maybe, but that's the breaks!

 

[TheBellhop]

If he lives in the US he should know the laws of abiding in the country. It's simple as that.

 

[tmt martins]

The punishment is he should have to live with both families together.

I have trouble dealing with just 1 I just can't imagine multibles.

I agree the laws the law and if you don't like it then do what you need to have it changed.

 

[Papa Deuce]

simplistically? I think you're digging too deeply into it. Here is a law. He broke it. He KNEW that it was against the law as much as a thief knows that stealing is. Bigamy is like an affair on a new level. He is undoubtly commiting insurance fraud and no telling how many other things. People go to jail every day, for many different things. Sometimes those people are innocent. Sometimes they dont deserve to be there. This man is not innocent. He does deserve to be there.

Absolutely true. But again, thre are people doing MUCH worse things and going free or being released. Don't you think they need to be put away before a guy who marries two women? There is NO WAY everybody goes to jail. Just isn't gonna happen. So then you need to decide which people need jail more. We can disagree on whether he deserves it, but in the real world, not everybody goes to jail for breaking a law that has jail time as a possibility. Just the way it is.

For the others, I do not know whether any other fraud was being comitted other than the bigamy.

 

[Michie]

picture, please!