John Duncan: "Well over 90 percent of felony cases, all over the nation, are committed by defendants who grew up in father-absent households."

A reader recently sent us a letter he received from his congressman, Rep. John Duncan Jr., R-Tenn., asking us to check a surprising claim. "Well over 90 percent of felony cases, all over the nation, are committed by defendants who grew up in father-absent households," Duncan wrote. Patrick Newton, a spokesman for Duncan, said the letter was based on the congressman's "knowledge obtained from nearly eight years as a criminal court judge dealing with mostly felony cases." The spokesman went on to say that on Duncan’s first day as a criminal court judge ...