Childhood trauma is a prominent factor that can impact brain development and alter an individual’s functioning. When it comes to specific brain areas, having damages, dysfunctions, or poor development can severely impact a person’s ability to control their emotions, thought processes and understand the consequences of their actions. An example of a brain area that can be affected by trauma is the prefrontal cortex. This area of research has been prominent when studying juvenile offenders and their level of culpability, as it can be argued that their behaviors were influenced by how developed their brains were and any damage they had.