What effect does a murderer's actions have upon their families?

Question

I'm just wondering what happens to the families whose son or daughter commits murders. Are they ostracized by the community, or do people become angry at them?

Answer 1

No i do not think they do, or if they do it is limited...  the old cliche of "it must be how they were brought up" has fallen out of favor in today's society.  It can be argued that family background has something to do with certain actions, after all we do learn a lot from them, but at the same time we are individuals and much of the wider society has socialized us as well, so if the family is seen to be at fault, the surely that means society as a whole is too?  Of course this only comes from the grand theories.

Answer 2

A lot of times, people do blame the parents/family members. They also blame the media. The economic system. Government. There is a lot of blame to go around. But family members often bear the brunt - people hurtle insults and ask "what did you do wrong?" Which also compounds the self-torture that the family members inflict upon themselves.