Rob Roth Noted That Criminals Sent to the Marytown Prison

Rob Roth noted that criminals sent to the Marytown Prison were less likely to commit additional crimes once released compared to criminals who were sent to Georgetown Prison. He jumped to the conclusion that the facilities, staff, and programs at the Marytown Prison had a causal effect of reducing future criminal behavior. Sherry Stevens was more cautious. She noticed that different types of criminals were sentenced to the two prisons. She discovered that those sentenced to Marytown were an average of 8 years younger than those sentenced to Georgetown, they had been convicted of less violent crimes, and spent an average of two fewer years in prison. She argued that post-prison criminal behavior had nothing with conditions of the Marytown Prison itself; rather it was due to the youth, offenses, and length of time spent in prison by those sent to Marytown compared to the Georgetown Prison. The problem with Rob Roth's conclusion is

A) null hypothesis.
B) nonlinear research path.
C) ecological fallacy.
D) reductionism.
E) spuriousness.