<P> Polygamy is defined as the practice or condition of having more than one spouse at the same time, conventionally referring to a situation where all spouses know about each other, in contrast to bigamy, where two or more spouses are usually unaware of each other . </P> <P> Polygamy is the act or condition of a person marrying another person while still being lawfully married to another spouse . As this is the very definition of bigamy, it is illegal in the United States . The crime is punishable by a fine, imprisonment, or both, according to the law of the individual state and the circumstances of the offense . Polygamy was outlawed federally by the Edmunds Act, and there are laws against the practice in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico . Because state laws exist, polygamy is not actively prosecuted at the federal level, but the practice is considered "against public policy" and, accordingly, the U.S. government won't recognize bigamous marriages for immigration purposes (that is, would not allow one of the spouses to petition for immigration benefits for the other), even if they are legal in the country where bigamous marriage was celebrated . Any immigrant who is coming to the United States to practice polygamy is inadmissible . </P> <P> Many US courts (e.g. Turner v. S., 212 Miss . 590, 55 So. 2d 228) treat bigamy as a strict liability crime: in some jurisdictions, a person can be convicted of a felony even if he reasonably believed he had only one legal spouse . For example, if a person has the mistaken belief that their previous spouse is dead or that their divorce is final, they can still be convicted of bigamy if they marry a new person . </P> <P> In Canada the federal Criminal Code applies throughout the country . It extends the normal definition of polygamy to having any kind of conjugal union with more than one person at the same time . Also anyone who assists, celebrates, or is a part to a rite, ceremony, or contract that sanctions a polygamist relationship is guilty of polygamy . Polygamy is an offence punishable by up to five years in prison . </P>

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