Final answer:
Frank's observation that men commit more serious crimes than women illustrates the concept of 'Gender and crime patterns', which is option D. This concept takes into account the differences in criminal behavior based on gender, aligning with Frank’s research findings.
Step-by-step explanation:
Frank, a criminologist, observes that men commit more serious crimes than women. This observation is related to Gender and crime patterns. It reflects the sociological understanding that there are differences in criminal behavior based on gender. This could be influenced by various theories, including biological determinism, which suggests that inherent biological differences could contribute to differing behavior between men and women.
As for the given options in the question:
- A) Gender-neutral criminal behavior would imply that crime is committed similarly by all genders, which contrasts with Frank’s observation.
- B) Differential association theory suggests that criminal behavior is learned through social interactions, not necessarily linked to gender differences in crime.
- C) Biological determinism aligns somewhat with Frank’s observation, but his research does not explicitly attribute the difference to biology alone.
- D) Gender and crime patterns accurately reflects Frank’s observation, emphasizing differences between male and female criminal behavior and suggesting that gender plays a role in the type and severity of crimes committed.
Therefore, the correct answer to why men may commit more serious crimes than women, according to Frank's research, is D) Gender and crime patterns.