Violence toward others peaks in adolescent years. The good news is that a violent adolescent doesn't necessarily become a violent adult. This is one reason why some say trying children as adults is no benefit to society. Laurence Steinberg, a Temple psychology professor, helped draft an American Psychological Association brief for a 2005 case in which the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed the death penalty for crimes committed before age 18. "I don't think it's ever appropriate to try young kids as adults," Steinberg said. "I think that below 15, I would feel uncomfortable regardless of what they've done.''