Corporal Punishment

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Corporal Punishment

Corporal Punishment refers to the deliberate infliction of pain on anything or someone as correction.

· Used in schools, homes, and as punishment for criminals.
· Milder forms used in homes by parents referred to as “spanking.”
· In schools, corporal punishment is legal in 23 states (Corpun.com)
· Corporal and capital punishment were long the main forms of punishment used by society. Since the 18th century corporal punishment has tended to be gradually replaced by fines and incarceration. However, several societies retain widespread use of corporal punishment; this includes nations such as Singapore and Malaysia. (http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment)
· The Singaporean practice of caning became much discussed in the U.S. in 1994, when American teenager Michael Fay was sentenced to such punishment for an offence of car vandalisation. In Singapore, male violent offenders and rapists are typically sentenced to caning in addition to a prison term. (http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment)
· The debate over corporal punishment in school is very heated as many people feel that teachers do not have the same rights as parents to discipline children.
· When the issue turns to the home it becomes very complex, as it is hard to decide what the parent’s rights are and when discipline crosses the line into abuse.

Arguments in favor of corporal punishment:

· Parents should have the right to discipline their children as they see fit.
· California law states “a parent has the right to reasonably discipline a child by physical punishment and may administer reasonable punishment without being liable for battery. In order to be considered disciplinary the punishment must
a) be necessary and
b) be reasonable, not excessive in the judgment of a third party (a social worker for example)
– ReligiousTolerance.org

· In a study done by the Atlanta Journal it was found ...