Mission & Justice

Dan Glaister; 4/6/08

A judge has ordered the return of more than 400 children taken from a polygamist sect’s ranch in one of the biggest child custody cases in US history. Most of the children are likely to return to the Yearning For Zion ranch in El Dorado, Texas, run by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Group spokesman Willie Jessop said: “We are grateful that the court at least allowed mothers and children to come back.” Under the terms of the court order, the children must remain in Texas, and parents collecting their children must be photographed and agree to co-operate with any inquiry. They must also attend parenting classes.

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Jim Forsyth; 24/5/08

Texas overstepped its authority when it removed some of about 460 children from a polygamist compound last month, a state appeals court has ruled. The ruling is the latest twist in a lurid tale of adolescent brides, teen pregnancies and a secretive religious sect following its faith in a dusty corner of the lone-star state. Although the court did not order the children’s immediate release, it raised the prospect of many of them being reunited with their families, possibly within 10 days. The children have been placed in foster homes scattered across Texas. Officials of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, which led the raid on the ranch in Eldorado, defended their actions as being taken in the children’s interest and said they were considering their next steps. The state has 10 days to appeal against the ruling.

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