Most theories of crime focus on ________, which is reasonable given 85% of violent crimes are committed by them.

• A. Men
• B. Youth
• C. Gangs
• D. Women

Answer: (A)

The main idea is understanding why theories of crime spotlight men. The fact that roughly 85% of violent crimes are committed by men shows a large gender gap in violent offending, so criminologists often build explanations around male socialization, masculinity norms, and patterns like risk-taking and aggression. This focus helps account for the bulk of violent activity, even though women and youth do commit offenses too. The other options don’t capture the dominant pattern as strongly: youth emphasizes age, gangs describe a subgroup, and women, while involved in crime, do not overwhelm violent crime rates the way men do.