How Polygamist Cults Actually Work

Briell Decker is a former plural wife of Warren Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or FLDS, a polygamist sect widely considered a cult.

Decker married Jeffs at 18 and spent eight years inside the group while it was being investigated by several law enforcement agencies. Decker explains how the FLDS manipulated its members, including through arranged marriages, financial control, isolation, and the use of religious authority to enforce obedience. She also describes her multiple escape attempts and the pressure the church used to keep members from leaving.

Warren Jeffs was arrested in 2006 and, in 2011, was sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years for sexually assaulting underage girls.

Decker now works with people leaving polygamist communities as founder of the Short Creek Dream Center. She appeared in the HBO Max/Discovery+ documentary "Prisoner of the Prophet."

If you are a survivor of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-4673) or visit its website to receive confidential support.

For more:
https://www.shortcreekdreamcenter.org/
https://www.brielldecker.com/
https://www.facebook.com/briell.decker.blanchart/