Polygamist Tom Green will be paroled from prison on Aug. 7, 2007, after spending six years behind bars, the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole reported Thursday.
That term of punishment is just shy of the six years and three months suggested by parole guidelines for Green, who was sent to prison for up to life for a child rape conviction for "marrying" and having sex with his first wife, Linda Kunz.
Kunz, now 32, was 13 years old when she married Green, who was 37.
Green, now 56, also was convicted of four counts of bigamy for cohabitating with four other women. He also was convicted of criminal non-support for stealing thousands of dollars in child welfare payments from the state.
"If there was any message to come out of this hearing, it would be that you cannot just marry children, regardless of your religious affiliations," said parole board Chairman Michael Sibbett on Thursday.
Sibbett said the decision was not easy for the board's five members, who all had strong feelings and took differing positions on how to deal with Green's case.
"It was not a unanimous decision," said Sibbett, noting that the crime of first-degree felony child rape "is extremely aggravating," and that child rapists often spend more than a dozen years in prison.
"But this occurred almost 18 years ago," Sibbett said. "And the victim of record [Kunz] testified that it was a mistake back then, but that she has had children with him since, and still loves and supports him and wants him to come home right now."
Being released on parole means Green - a father of 32 children - will be supervised by parole officers as he re-acclimates to life outside of prison. Any inappropriate contact with underage girls or with women other than Kunz, with whom he plans to live, could put Green back behind bars.
Last year, parole authorities declined to monitor polygamist David Ortell Kingston by terminating his sentence. Kingston served four years of a potential 10-year prison term for having sex with a 16-year-old niece.
Vicky Prunty, executive director of Tapestry Against Polygamy, said she hoped Green's fate would "send a message" to other polygamists.
But Prunty doubts Green has been rehabilitated, as he claims.
"I'm not saying pedophiles can't be rehabilitated, but he'll be among a lot of girls [when he is released] and there are a lot of places for polygamists to run," she said. "Unless his belief system has changed, it won't penetrate into his actions."
"Tom Green is just one of thousands," she added. "We had hoped there would be more of an effort to go after bigamists, especially where abuse was involved. But it hasn't been the case."
Green drew the wrath of authorities by touring the TV talk show circuit to tout the virtues of polygamy.
Tapestry's co-founder, Rowenna Erickson, recalled what TV host Judge Judy told Green 10 years ago when Erickson, Green and his wives all appeared on the show.
"Judge Judy told him . . . it wasn't the Lord that told Tom what to do, it was what was below his belt that told him what to do."
At his parole hearing two weeks ago, Green denounced polygamy, and claimed he would never let his own 13-year-old daughter marry a man 25 years her senior.
Green's parole "rationale sheet" lists six aggravating factors, including that he abused his position of trust with multiple victims, most of whom were relatively vulnerable young girls.
"At one point he was their stepfather, and then he became their husband," Sibbett said of some wives. He added that Green had "checked out" numerous polygamist clans before deciding to organize his own.
Sibbett also noted that Green reaped "personal gain" from his "constant involvement with [child welfare] fraud."
Board members listed five mitigating factors in Green's favor, including his acceptance of responsibility, motivation to change, enrollment in numerous prison programs and good behavior.
As part of his parole, Green must complete mental health therapy, "to address sexual deviancy and cognitive structuring issues." He must also pay $34,420 in restitution to the state.