# Do Broken Homes Lead to Crime? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 17, 2014, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-broken-homes-lead-to-crime/691017 "2014-06-17T22:23:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-broken-homes-lead-to-crime/691017/21 "2014-06-18T15:07:47Z")
> [@Hector\_St\_Clare](#): > > Broken homes don’t ‘lead to’ any of that stuff, they (may) _increase the likelihood_. When discussing human behaviour it’s always important to rember that most influences on our behavior are probabilistic and statistical , not deterministic. Lots of children from broken homes turn out fine (which is why your ‘always’) there is a big exaggeration. > > More generally, I’m not super interested in any piece if sociological research that doesn’t even try to control for genetics. If you can find a twin study on the effect of broken homes, or even one that does their best to control for genetic factors, then I think that would be a lot more convincing. I think you’re assessment is valid. My post would be a much more appropriate for IMHO; I usually don’t post in great debates. I have not seen any sociological research that answers this question very well or uses methodology that gives me high confidence in the results - which isn’t to say it isn’t out there, I haven’t really looked for any lately. This is slightly off topic, the “lots of people from broken homes turn out fine” has different meanings to different people. I think the experiences of your formative years are a condition to be dealt with your entire life. It is more like a condition which limits people, and some people are able to work around these limitations, but the limitations still exist, just like someone with a lower than average IQ could become an engineer, but it will be a great struggle and involves sacrifices and career limitations that someone with a very high IQ would not have. Also, I think people prematurely assess “fine”, I remember Lance Armstrong’s mother being interviewed and commended for her good mothering skills . . . . ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2014, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-broken-homes-lead-to-crime/691017/22 "2014-06-21T01:24:45Z")
I’m sure the [kids of this woman](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DrzCVAJtDw) will turn out to be model citizens. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2014, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-broken-homes-lead-to-crime/691017/23 "2014-06-21T03:17:57Z")
> [@razncain](#): > > I’m sure the [kids of this woman](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DrzCVAJtDw) will turn out to be model citizens. Holy shit. You’re not kidding. ---
**Author:** ![john\_b\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@john\_b\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/john_b_2)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2014, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-broken-homes-lead-to-crime/691017/24 "2014-06-22T06:51:05Z")
For me a key issue in all this is economic. The son of a wealthy, abusive banker who beat his children senseless when they were growing up, cheated on his wife, and treated his employees abysmally is far less likely to become a criminal than someone raised in poverty, whether of the inner city or the Appalachian kind, given a poor education and few opportunities for advancement. The rich man’s son can become a therapist, a teacher, a clergyman, has educational opportunities the adult children of poverty don’t have, thus adults from poor broken homes are more likely to hold up liquor stores and gas stations. The banker’s son doesn’t need to do that. On the other hand, if the pathology is in the genes, and the son is as nasty a piece of work as the father, that’s a different story altogether… ---
**Author:** ![l0k1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@l0k1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/l0k1)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2014, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-broken-homes-lead-to-crime/691017/25 "2014-06-22T13:01:36Z")
I need an actual a cite for the existence of psychopaths and sociopaths. These are not medical diagnoses and are often tossed around by people who think criminality is preordained and not the result of complex societal problems. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2014, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-broken-homes-lead-to-crime/691017/26 "2014-06-22T15:43:58Z")
> [@razncain](#): > > I’m sure the [kids of this woman](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DrzCVAJtDw) will turn out to be model citizens. Yeah, well, das why you gay. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2014, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-broken-homes-lead-to-crime/691017/27 "2014-06-22T16:04:28Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Yeah, well, das why you gay. I’m going to go out on a limb here, and predict that little kid will go on to become valedictorian of his high school graduating class. You don’t have to worry about not understanding any of them the first time, they will happily repeat it over and over and over and over… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-broken-homes-lead-to-crime/691017.md?page=1)