corporal punishment - the infliction of physical injury on someone convicted of committing a crime

corporal punishment (Legal) Physical punishment, as distinguished from pecuniary punishment or a fine; any kind of punishment inflicted on the body. Corporal punishment arises in two main contexts: as a method of discipline in schools and as a form of punishment for committing a crime. Corporal punishment, usually in the form of paddling, though practiced in U.S. schools since the American Revolution, was only sanctioned by the U.S. Supreme Court in the late 1970s. In Ingraham v. Wright, 430 U.S. 651, 97 S. Ct. 1401, 51 L. Ed. 2d 711 (1977), students from a Florida junior high school had received physical punishment, including paddling so severe that one student had required medical treatment. The plaintiffs, parents of students who had been disciplined, brought suit against the school district, alleging that corporal punishment in public schools constituted Cruel and Unusual Punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The plaintiffs also maintained that the Fourteenth Amendment required DUE PROCESS before corporal punishment could be administered. The Court rejected the Eighth Amendment claim, holding that the prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment was designed to protect persons who were convicted of crimes, not students who were paddled as a form of discipline. The Court also held that although corporal punishment did implicate a constitutionally protected liberty interest, traditional Common Law remedies, such as filing an action in TORT, were "fully adequate to afford due process." Thus, the Court concluded, teachers could use "reasonable but not excessive" corporal punishment to discipline students. Since the Court's decision in Ingraham, corporal punishment in the schools has been challenged on other constitutional grounds. In Hall v. Tawney, 621 F.2d 607 (4th Cir. 1980), a grade-school student from West Virginia alleged that she had been severely injured after she had been struck repeatedly with a hard, rubber paddle by her teacher while the school principal had looked on. She filed suit against the school, claiming that her Eighth Amendment rights had been violated and that she had been deprived of her procedural due process rights. She further alleged that she had been denied Substantive Due Process under 42 U.S.C.A. 1983, which provides that a civil action may be brought for a deprivation of constitutional rights. While the case was pending, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in Ingraham, thus foreclosing the plaintiff's Eighth Amendment and procedural due process claims. Addressing the remaining constitutional claim, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held that excessive corporal punishment in public schools could violate a student's constitutional right to substantive due process and thus subject school officials to liability under 1983. The standard to be applied, the court ruled, was whether the force applied were to cause injury so severe and disproportionate to the need for it and were " so inspired by malice or sadism rather than a merely careless or unwise excess of zeal that it amounted to a brutal and inhuman abuse of official power literally shocking to the conscience." The case was remanded to the lower court so that the plaintiff's 1983 claim could be tried in light of the Fourth Circuit's ruling. Other federal appeals courts have since followed Hall in corporal punishment cases involving schools, although the high standard has proved very difficult for plaintiffs to meet. In cases where plaintiffs have been successful, the conduct of the educator is often rather extreme. In Neal ex rel. Neal v. Fulton County Board of Education, 229 F.3d 1069 (11th Cir.

2000), a high-school teacher and football coach, while breaking up a fight, struck one of the fighting students with a metal weight lock. The blow to the student was so severe that it knocked his eyeball out of its socket. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals found that because the punishment inflicted by the coach had been intentional, and obviously excessive, and that it had created a foreseeable risk of serious injury, the student had stated a claim upon which he could recover. Many other cases, on the other hand, have held in favor of educators and school districts because the students who brought suit could not prove the elements necessary to hold the defendants liable. As a result of limited success in the courts, opponents of corporal punishment have turned to the political process and have worked to persuade state legislatures to outlaw the use of corporal punishment in schools. Scientific studies over the past decade have demonstrated that corporal punishment contributes to such behavioral problems as increased anger, aggression, tolerance for violence, and lower self-esteem. Partially as a result of these studies, a growing number of groups, including the National Education Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, and the American Bar Association, disfavor corporal punishment and have sought to ban it in public schools. These Lobbying efforts have proven successful: Only about half of the states continue to practice corporal punishment, whereas the other half specifically prohibit it by state statute or regulation. In California, for example, state law provides that "[]no person employed by a public school shall inflict, or cause to be inflicted corporal punishment upon a pupil" (Cal. Educ. Code 49001 [West 1996]). But despite the trend against permitting corporal punishment in schools, public opinion is split on the issue: In a 1995 Scripps Howard News Service Poll, 49 percent of those surveyed favored corporal punishment, and 46 percent opposed it. Like corporal punishment in schools, physical punishment for committing a crime also dates back to the American Revolution. The Continental Congress allowed floggings on U.S. warships, and confinement in stocks and public hangings were common. Gradually, imprisonment and other forms of rehabilitation began to replace corporal punishment, largely because of the work of reformers who campaigned against its use on convicts and advocated for improved prison conditions. Most states eventually abolished public floggings and other forms of physical punishment for crimes, but in some jurisdictions "whipping laws" remained in effect until the early 1970s. In addition, courts have held that corporal punishment in prisons can take a variety of forms (e.g., whipping, deprivation of food, and placement in restraints) and is prohibited by the Eighth Amendment. The mid-1990s case of a U.S. teenager convicted of Vandalism in a foreign country revived a long-dormant debate over whether criminals should be corporally punished. In May 1994, Michael Fay was sentenced to six strokes with a rattan cane and four months in jail for painting graffiti on parked cars and for other acts of vandalism he had committed while living in Singapore. The case drew immediate international attention. Many U.S. citizensincluding President BILL CLINTON, who appealed to the government of Singapore for clemencywere outraged by the sentence. Despite the intervention of the U.S. government and Human Rights groups, the punishment was eventually carried out, although the number of strokes was reduced to four. In the wake of the publicity surrounding the Fay matter, polls indicated that a surprising number of U.S. citizens supported the sentence. Unconvinced that current penalties provide a sufficient deterrent, many believed that the long-standing prohibition against physical punishment should be reconsidered, at least with respect to juvenile offenders. In some states, lawmakers introduced

legislation to provide for corporal punishment of juveniles who were convicted of certain crimes. In California, for example, a bill requiring paddling of juvenile graffiti vandals was proposed (1995 California Assembly Bill No. 7, California 199596 Regular Session). Proposed measures in other states have not limited the use of corporal punishment to juveniles. In Tennessee, for instance, a bill was introduced in 1995 providing for floggings for property crimes such as Burglary, vandalism, and trespassing. The measure would further provide for the punishment to be administered by the county sheriff on the courthouse steps of the county where the crime was committed. According to the bill's sponsor, "People that follow a life of crime generally get started in the area of property crimes if you knew they were going to whale the living daylights out of you, you might think twice about it." This bill, like other measures proposed for physically punishing juveniles, failed to pass the state legislature. In response to renewed calls for physical punishment for criminals, critics have argued that such measures may meet a "revenge" need on the part of the public but that they do nothing in the long term to address the deeper issue of why crime occurs. Groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union, in lobbying against corporal punishment, maintain that state legislators, law enforcement personnel, criminologists, and social scientists should instead direct their efforts to what can be done to prevent crime in the first place. This article is about punishment involving pain, not designed to cause injury. For other forms of physical punishment, see physical punishment. For the Blackadder episode, see Corporal Punishment (Blackadder). For the American professional wrestler, see Corporal Punishment (wrestler).

Legality of school corporal punishment in the United States

Legality of corporal punishment in Europe Corporal punishment prohibited in schools and the home Corporal punishment prohibited in schools only Corporal punishment not prohibited
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Corporal punishment is a form of physical punishment that involves the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offence, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behaviour deemed unacceptable. The term usually refers to methodically striking the offender with an implement, whether in judicial, domestic, or educational settings. Corporal punishment may be divided into three main types:

Parental or domestic corporal punishment: within the familytypically, children punished by parents or guardians; School corporal punishment: within schools, when students are punished by teachers or school administrators, or, in the past, apprentices by master craftsmen; Judicial corporal punishment: as part of a criminal sentence ordered by a court of law. Closely related is prison corporal punishment, ordered either directly by the prison authorities or by a visiting court.

Corporal punishment of minors within domestic settings is lawful in all 50 of the United States and, according to a 2000 survey, is widely approved by parents.[1] It has been officially outlawed in 31 countries.[2] Corporal punishment in school is still legal in some parts of the world, including 19 of the States of the USA, but has been outlawed in other places, including Canada, Kenya, Korea, South Africa, New Zealand, and nearly all of Europe except France.[3] Judicial corporal punishment has virtually disappeared from the western world but remains in force in many parts of Africa and Asia.

Contents
[hide]

1 History of corporal punishment 2 Modern use

2.1 Corporal punishment in the home 2.2 Corporal punishment in schools 2.3 Judicial or quasi-judicial punishment 2.4 Pros and cons of corporal punishment

3 Anatomical target 4 Ritual and punishment

4.1 Corporal punishment, paraphilia and fetishism

5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] History of corporal punishment

The practice was recorded as early as c. 10th Century BC in Book of Proverbs attributed to Solomon: He that spareth the rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him correcteth him betimes.[4] Withhold not correction from a child: for if thou strike him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and deliver his soul from hell.[5] It was certainly present in classical civilisations, being used in Greece, Rome, and Egypt for both judicial and educational discipline.[6] Some states gained a reputation for using such punishments

cruelly; Sparta, in particular, used them as part of a disciplinary regime designed to build willpower and physical strength.[7] Although the Spartan example was extreme, corporal punishment was possibly the most frequent type of punishment. In the Roman Empire, the maximum penalty that a Roman citizen could receive under the law was 40 "lashes" or "strokes" with a whip applied to the back and shoulders, or with the "fasces" (similar to a birch rod, but consisting of 810 lengths of willow rather than birch) applied to the buttocks. Such punishments could draw blood, and were frequently inflicted in public. In Medieval Europe, corporal punishment was encouraged by the attitudes of the medieval church towards the human body, flagellation being a common means of self-discipline. This had an influence on the use of corporal punishment in schools, as educational establishments were closely attached to the church during this period. Nevertheless, corporal punishment was not used uncritically; as early as the eleventh century Saint Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury was speaking out against what he saw as the excessive use of corporal punishment in the treatment of children.[8] From the 16th century onwards, new trends were seen in corporal punishment. Judicial punishments were increasingly turned into public spectacles, with public beatings of criminals intended as a deterrent to other would-be offenders. Meanwhile, early writers on education, such as Roger Ascham, complained of the arbitrary manner in which children were punished.[9] Peter Newell assumes that perhaps the most influential writer on the subject was the English philosopher John Locke, whose Some Thoughts Concerning Education explicitly criticised the central role of corporal punishment in education. Locke's work was highly influential, and may have helped influence Polish legislators to ban corporal punishment from Poland's schools in 1783, the first country in the world to do so.[10] During the 18th century, the concept of corporal punishment was attacked by some philosophers and legal reformers. Merely inflicting pain on miscreants was seen as inefficient, influencing the subject only for a short period of time and effecting no permanent change in their behaviour. Some believed that the purpose of punishment should be reformation, not retribution. This is perhaps best expressed in Jeremy Bentham's idea of a panoptic prison, in which prisoners were controlled and surveyed at all times, perceived to be advantageous in that this system supposedly reduced the need of measures such as corporal punishment.[11] A consequence of this mode of thinking was a reduction in the use of corporal punishment in the 19th century in Europe and North America. In some countries this was encouraged by scandals involving individuals seriously hurt during acts of corporal punishment. For instance, in Britain, popular opposition to punishment was encouraged by two significant cases, the death of Private Frederick John White, who died after a military flogging in 1846,[12] and the death of Reginald Cancellor, who was killed by his schoolmaster in 1860.[13] Events such as these mobilised public opinion, and in response, many countries introduced thorough regulation of the infliction of corporal punishment in state institutions such as schools, prisons and reformatories. In the 1870s, courts in the United States overruled the common-law principle that a husband had the right to "physically chastise an errant wife".[14] In the UK the traditional right of a husband to inflict moderate corporal punishment on his wife in order to keep her "within the bounds of duty" was similarly removed in 1891.[15][16] See Domestic violence for more information. In the United Kingdom, the use of judicial corporal punishment declined during the first half of the 20th century and it was abolished altogether in 1948, while most other European countries had abolished it earlier. Meanwhile in many schools, the use of the cane, paddle or tawse

remained commonplace in the UK and the United States until the 1980s. In several other countries, it still is: see School corporal punishment.

[edit] Modern use

[edit] Corporal punishment in the home
Main article: Corporal punishment in the home Domestic corporal punishment, i.e. of children and teenagers by their parents, is usually referred to colloquially as "spanking", "whipping", "smacking," or "slapping." One possible method of spanking is to have the child or teenager lying, stomach down, across the parent's lap, with the parent bringing their open hand down upon the child's buttocks. Alternatively, the youngster might be told to bend over, or lie face down across a bed.[17] Spankings may be delivered over the trousers, over the undergarments, or upon the bare buttocks. In an increasing number of countries it has been outlawed, starting with Sweden in 1979.[2] In some other countries, corporal punishment is legal, but restricted (e.g. blows to the head are outlawed and implements may not be used, and/or only children within a certain age range may be spanked). In the United States and all African and most Asian nations, "spanking," "whipping," "smacking," or "slapping" by parents is currently legal; it is also legal to use certain implements such as a belt or paddle. In Canada, spanking by parents or legal guardians (but nobody else) is legal, as long as the child is not under 2 years or over 12 years of age, and no implement other than an open, bare hand is used (belts, paddles, etc. are strictly prohibited). Provinces can legally impose tighter restrictions than the aforementioned national restrictions, but none currently does so. In the UK, spanking or smacking is legal, but it may not leave a mark on the body and in Scotland since October 2003 it has been illegal to use any implements when disciplining a child. In Wales, in October 2011, the National Assembly voted to pass a bill to completely ban corporal punishment in the home, but the law is unlikely to be enacted before the end of this assembly term. In Pakistan, Section 89 of Pakistan Penal Code allows corporal punishment. The Government of Pakistan has yet to repeal this law.[18]

[edit] Corporal punishment in schools

Main article: School corporal punishment Legal corporal punishment of school students for misbehaviour involves striking the student on the buttocks or the palm of the hand in a premeditated ceremony with an implement specially kept for the purpose such as a rattan cane or spanking paddle, or with the open hand.

[edit] Judicial or quasi-judicial punishment

Main article: Judicial corporal punishment

Countries with judicial corporal punishment Some 33 countries retain judicial corporal punishment, including a number of former British territories such as Botswana, Malaysia, Singapore and Tanzania. In Malaysia and Singapore, for certain specified offences, males are routinely sentenced to caning in addition to a prison term. The Singaporean practice of caning became much discussed around the world in 1994 when American teenager Michael P. Fay was caned for vandalism. A number of countries with an Islamic legal system, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sudan and northern Nigeria, employ judicial whipping for a range of offences. As of 2009, some regions of Pakistan are experiencing a breakdown of law and government, leading to a reintroduction of corporal punishment by ad hoc Islamicist courts.[19] As well as corporal punishment, some Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran use other kinds of physical penalties such as amputation or mutilation.[20][21][22] However, the term "corporal punishment" has since the 19th century usually meant caning, flogging or whipping rather than those other types of physical penalty.[23][24][25][26][27][28][29]

[edit] Pros and cons of corporal punishment

Main articles: Corporal punishment in the home#Differing views about parental spanking and School corporal punishment#Justification and criticism See also: Campaigns against corporal punishment According to its proponents, corporal punishment offers several advantages over other kinds of punishment, such as that it is quicker to implement, costs nothing, and deters unruliness.[30][31] The American Psychological Association opposes the use of corporal punishment in schools, juvenile facilities, child care nurseries, and all other institutions, public or private, where children are cared for or educated. It claims that corporal punishment is violent and unnecessary, may lower self-esteem, and is liable to instil hostility and rage without reducing the undesired behaviour. The APA also states that corporal punishment is likely to train children to use physical violence.[32] The professor of philosophy, David Benatar, points out that using this last argument, fining people also teaches that forcing others to give up some of their property is an acceptable response to unwanted behaviour in others. "Why don't detentions, imprisonments, fines, and a multitude of other punishments convey equally undesirable messages?" According to Benatar, the key difference lies in the legitimacy of the authority administering the punishment: "[T]here is all the difference in the world between legitimate authoritiesthe judiciary, parents, or teachersusing punitive powers responsibly to punish wrongdoing, and children or private citizens going around beating each other, locking each other up, and extracting financial tributes (such as lunch money). There is a vast moral difference here and there is no reason why children should not learn about it. Punishing children when they do wrong seems to be one important way of doing this."[33]

[edit] Anatomical target

Different parts of the anatomy may be targeted:

The buttocks, whether clothed or bare, have often been targeted for punishment, particularly in Europe and the English-speaking world.[26] Indeed, some languages have a specific word for their chastisement: spanking in English, fesse in French, nalgada in

Spanish (both Romanesque words directly derived from the word for buttock), klaps in Polish (derived from the name of the sound produced by spanking). The advantage is that these fleshy body parts are robust and can be chastised accurately, without endangering any bodily functions; they heal well and relatively quickly; in some cultures punishment applied to the buttocks entails a degree of humiliation, which may or may not be intended as part of the punishment. Chastising the back of the thighs and calves, as sometimes in South Korean schools, is at least as painful if not more so, but this can cause more damage in terms of scars and bruising. The upper back and the shoulders have historically been a target for whipping, e.g. in the UK with the cat-o'-nine-tails in the Royal Navy and in some pre-1948 judicial punishments, and also today generally in the Middle East and the Islamic world. The head is a very dangerous place to hit, especially "boxing the ears". The hand is very sensitive and delicate, and use of an implement could cause excessive damage.[34] The soles of the feet are extremely sensitive, and flogging them (falaka), as has been sometimes done in the Middle East, is excruciating.

[edit] Ritual and punishment

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2007) Corporal punishment in official settings, such as schools and prisons, has typically been carried out as a formal ceremony, with a standard procedure, emphasising the solemnity of the occasion. It may even be staged in a ritual manner in front of other students/inmates, in order to act as a deterrent to others. In the case of prison or judicial punishments, formal punishment might begin with the offender stripped of some or all of their clothing and secured to a piece of furniture, such as a trestle or frame,[35][36] (X-cross), punishment horse or falaka. In some cases the nature of the offence is read out and the sentence (consisting of a predetermined number of strokes) is formally imposed. A variety of implements may be used to inflict blows on the offender. The terms used to describe these are not fixed, varying by country and by context. There are, however, a number of common types that are encountered when reading about corporal punishment. These include:

The rod. A thin, flexible rod is often called a switch. The birch, a number of strong, flexible branches of birch or similar wood, bound together with twine into a single implement. The rattan cane (not bamboo as it is often wrongly described). Much favoured in the British Commonwealth for both school and judicial use. The paddle, a flat wooden board with a handle, with or without holes. Used in US schools. The strap. A leather strap with a number of tails at one end, called a tawse, was used in schools in Scotland and some parts of northern England.

The whip, typically of leather. Varieties include the Russian knout and South African sjambok, in addition to the scourge and the French martinet. The cat o' nine tails was used in British naval discipline and as a judicial and prison punishment. The hairbrush and belt were traditionally used in the United States and Britain as an implement for domestic spanking. The plimsoll or gym shoe, used in British and Commonwealth schools, often called "the slipper". See Slippering (punishment). The ferula, in Jesuit schools, as vividly described in a scene in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

In some instances the offender is required to prepare the implement himself. For instance, sailors were employed in preparing the cat o' nine tails that would be used upon their own back, while school students were sometimes sent out to cut a switch or rod. In contrast, informal punishments, particularly in domestic settings, tend to lack this ritual nature and are often administered with whatever object comes to hand. It is common, for instance, for belts, wooden spoons, slippers, hairbrushes or coathangers to be used in domestic punishment, while rulers and other classroom equipment have been used in schools. In parts of England, boys were once beaten under the old tradition of "Beating the Bounds" whereby a boy was paraded around the edge of a city or parish and would be spanked with a switch or cane to mark the boundary.[37] One famous "Beating the Bounds" took place around the boundary of St Giles and the area where Tottenham Court Road now stands in central London. The actual stone that separated the boundary is now underneath the Centre Point office tower.[38]

[edit] Corporal punishment, paraphilia and fetishism

The German psychologist Richard von Krafft-Ebing suggested that a tendency to sadism and masochism may develop out of the experience of children receiving corporal punishment at school.[39] But this was disputed by Sigmund Freud, who found that, where there was a sexual interest in beating or being beaten, it developed in early childhood, and rarely related to actual experiences of punishment.[40]

Essay
Corporal punishment means physical torture. This could be in the form of beating, canning, thrashing or even whipping. Corporal punishment is a common feature in schools. Several incidents of such punishment have been reported in the newspapers. Such kind of punishment can physically impair a student for his whole life. It may also affect him psychologically, disturb his mental balance. This kind of punishment should be stopped immediately. The method to discipline a child through corporal punishment was first practiced during the medieval period and is old-fashioned. Teachers should deal with their students patiently, advising and guiding them in every sphere of life.

The term, 'Corporal punishment' means 'physical punishment'. It is a kind of punishment that affects the human body adversely. This could be in the form of beating, thrashing or even whipping'. Thus, punishment of this kind is physical torture to a student and should be condemned and stopped immediately. Moreover, such kind of punishment may sometimes physically impair a student for his whole life. Psychologists are of the opinion that such a punishment can affect a student mentally, for a very long period of time. In India Corporal punishment has become a common feature in schools. Several incidents of physical assault have been reported in the newspapers. For instance, a student of class XII from a popular school in Udaipur and a student from Delhi Municipality Corporation School died due to the beating, they received from their school teacher. This is shocking. In another incident, a class XI student in Ahmedabad accused a teacher of having hit him so hard that he suffered a temporary loss of hearing. Making a student kneel down or stand for hours, pinching and slapping are all set to be banned under plans to widen the definition of Corporal punishment in schools. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has suggested a code of regulations on the conduct of teachers in schools. A standout feature of the code is a total ban on corporal punishment. So far, only six Indian states have banned the cane in schools. Corporal Punishment is just another form of physical violence and has no place in an enlightened society. However there are numerous instances of milder punishment that go unnoticed. There is enough evidence to suggest that teachers, including those at elite schools, physically and verbally intimidate children, some of whom could be as young as five years old. There is unfortunately no national law banning cruel or unusual punishment in schools. The National Policy on Education merely says that corporal punishment is not permissible. Discipline is a must for students in schools and colleges. However, enforcing it through Corporal punishment is highly objectionable and rather, inhuman. This kind of punishment was generally practiced during the medieval period, and is very old-fashioned. Moreover, this is not the right procedure or technique to discipline a student. Teacher should realize that children at the school level are at an impressionable age. If they are subjected to such kind of physical torture, they may develop a fear (phobia) to approach or meet a teacher, or even attend the school. They will never respect and love their teachers which is very essential for the overall development of a student's personality. This is because a guru or a teacher is a role model for a student. He must set an example for his students through his behavior and actions. He must deal with his students patiently, advising and guiding him to excel in every sphere of life such as academics, sports, music and various other extra-curricular activities. A student must also be free and friendly with his teachers, ask questions, clarify his doubts etc. At the same time, he should always respect and obey his teachers. However, this obedience and respect cannot be demanded forcibly through corporal punishment. It can only come spontaneously through deep regard for one's teachers. Supreme Court states that 'children are not subjected to corporal punishment in schools and the they should receive education in an environment of freedom and dignity, free from fear. National Policy on Education directs the school authority to take necessary action in the matter, so that the pernicious practice of affecting physical and mental health of children can be nipped in the bud. Corporal punishment does not have any positive effect on a student. If further worsens the situation. For instance, a student who is very naughty, or least interested in studies, when

subjected to corporal punishment, may become more aggressive in nature. He may even leave the school and studies. Nonetheless, such a drastic decision can be disastrous for a child's future. Corporal punishment may even cause permanent physical disorders in a child. For example, hard slapping upon the ears can make him totally deaf for the rest of his life. Harsh whipping and canning in the hands and legs can damage the bones and muscles paralyzing him completely. There are some people who would say scolding of school children and verbal intimidation should not be outlawed. This argument is flawed. Verbal abuse could be as damaging and humiliating for children, especially the younger ones, as physical punishment. Parents often complain to schools authorities against abusing their children in school. But they are too often cowed by school authorities to raise their voice. In such a situation, there is no alternative but for the state government to interfere. To conclude, it must always be borne in our mind that teaching is one of the noblest professions where one imparts knowledge to others. The teacher must consider his students as his own children, and treat them as lovingly and caringly as possible. He should applaud a student's achievements, and help him to overcome his shortcomings by motivating him to pursue his interests. A teacher should be there to guide a student to become responsible, educated and a well groomed citizen of a country. While handling students, it must always be kept in mind that they are like flowers. They have to be nurtured with great care to help them blossom and spread their fragrance.

Essay
An impassioned debate has been raging over the airways and on editorial pages the last few weeks regarding what is permissible and effective in raising children. This has been occasioned by California Assemblywoman Sally Liebers announcement that she will introduce legislation to ban the use of corporal punishment with children less than four years of age. This pioneering legislation was introduced today, and the debate is likely to become even more heated. Corporal punishment includes a wide range of physical actions to inflict pain and discomfort, including pinching, pulling ears and hair, shaking, slapping, smacking, spanking, swatting, hitting, kicking, punching, paddling, using switches, hair brushes, belts and ironing cords, and having children kneel on gravel or a grate. The use of these punishing actions varies in intensity, harshness and length, and whether they produce crying and screaming. They also vary in regard to how often they are applied, from once or twice a year, to monthly, weekly and hourly. These methods are used for such purposes as stopping a childs unwanted behavior, preventing the recurrence of an unwanted behavior, or because the child failed to do something the child was supposed to do. National surveys show that the majority of parents in the United States still use some of these methods, and especially with children under eight years of age. This includes 35% who admit using one or more such practices with oneyear-old babies. Most news and talk show presentations about the proposed ban focus on the more tepid forms of corporal punishment, such as spanking or swatting. They often pose the issues

using both impish humor, as if this isnt serious business to the recipients of such treatment. Newspaper editorials also focus mainly on spanking, with such clever and eye-catching headlines as, To Spank or Not To Spank? (USA Today) or No Need for a Swat Team: Legally Banning Parents from Spanking their Children is Silly (Los Angeles Times). Those Opposing the Proposed Ban Opponents of the proposed ban make a distinction between ordinary or normal corporal punishment, which is said to be mild, infrequent and does not leave physical signs like bruises, versus abusive corporal punishment which leaves bruises, welts, scars, broken bones, fractured skulls and/or damaged brains. These ban opponents are loud and clear that they are opposed to the abusive forms, and also indicate that government has already intervened with laws banning such types of treatment. They also seem to forget that it was not long ago that various forms of spousal abuse were considered to be "ordinary or normal" corporal punishment for women who failed to do what they were supposed to do. These ban opponents tend to overlook the fact that abusive corporal punishment often begins as an instance of ordinary physical discipline that escalates, becomes harsher, and gets out of control, i.e., ordinary and normal corporal punishment is often the necessary prelude to legally defined physical abuse. Also they are hard pressed to define the point at which the ordinary becomes abusive and where the current law should come into play. The arguments of many of the opponents of the ban are influenced by an interpretation of biblical scriptures where corporal punishment is regarded as a necessary practice if the parents goal is to instill in children respect for authority. In addition, these opponents believe that refraining from the use of spanking and other physical force methods will have detrimental consequences such as uncontrolled, disrespectful behavior in the child. Many of these opponents are believers of the discipline methods advocated by Dr. James Dobson. In his book, The New Dare to Discipline, he indicates that a small amount of discomfort goes a long way toward softening a childs rebellious spirit. However, the spanking should be of sufficient magnitude to cause genuine tears. Those in Favor of the Proposed Ban Those in favor of the ban draw attention to various research studies that indicate that many negative behaviors and outcomes have been regularly associated with the parental use of corporal punishment. These include greater depression, aggression and suicidal thoughts for children who are more frequent recipients of corporal punishment and of harsh corporal punishment, as well as poorer school performance and more anti-social behavior on the part of these frequently and harshly punished young people. Also, such youngsters have a higher likelihood of being victims of legally determined child abuse, probably because of the escalation effect mentioned above. These young people are also more likely to abuse their children and spouses when they grow up. However, there is also research that suggests that these dramatic problems and outcomes are not always associated with the ordinary, normal applications of corporal punishment, and in some circumstances and with some cultural groups, their use is associated with positive child behaviors and outcomes. These research findings have been summarized in an August 2006 special edition of the Cross-Cultural Research: the Journal of Comparative Social Science. These findings are also reasons why some highly respected child development researchers and scientists are reluctant to speak in favor of a ban.

Other equally well-respected and highly credentialed scientists and practitioners are convinced enough by the state of research in this area, and by their clinical experiences, to support a ban. They see it as not only being warranted based on the full spectrum of scientific evidence. They view the ban as a necessary first step in orienting and educating all parents about using non-physical force methods of child rearing. Those who are advocating for the proposed ban also remind us that there are parents of all cultural and religious groups who never use any type of corporal punishment and whose children grow up to be fine citizens. They propose that parents who are still using spanking and the other varieties of physical punishment consider doing some of the following: Analyze the situations where a child is engaging in unwanted behaviors or refusing to do what they are supposed to do, to see if the parent can make a change in the situation or environment that will avoid or prevent the unwanted behavior or the refusal to comply. Analyze the unwanted behaviors themselves to determine what the opposite or incompatible behaviors are, and focus instead on praising, encouraging, or providing positive I-messages for those incompatible, cooperative behaviors. Draw attention away from problematic situations through the use of distraction. Use clear and succinct commands and strong body posture to let the child know you are serious about the unwanted behavior stopping. Use time out procedures which are discussed and carefully planned in advance. Take away privileges and rewards for noncompliance. Problem solve and negotiate solutions with the children. Organize the family environment so that children earn their privileges and rewards based on their good will and cooperation in complying with mutually agreed upon family rules and values.

These ban proponents further urge parents to enroll in parenting classes where these alternatives to corporal punishment can be properly learned and utilized. What Does All This Say About Our Overall Values Regarding Children? This entire debate emanates from the need to justify or not justify the use of physical punishment with children, a debate that has already been decided when the reference is adults, as well as when referring to adults in prisons and jails. Quite simply, with older human beings, regardless of what they have done, people are not for hitting. With little human beings, the most vulnerable and defenseless of our nation, we are still debating whether they are not for hitting. What does this say about our character regarding the treatment of children? It says to all of us, regardless of religious or cultural backgrounds and beliefs, that we have not been appealing to the better angels of our character. Given the state of the world -- and given that the United States has just been ranked by

UNICEF as one of the worst places to be a child -- isnt it time that we appeal to those better angels? Lets stop debating, and give our children the same right to be free of physical punishment that we adults have been reserving for ourselves.

Corporal Punishment
People a few years ago,thought of the only way to punish someone who did a sinister deed was to use corporal punishment.This is meant to enforce pain to someone who has done wrong by hitting them,beating them,strapping them or even whipping them.These are only a few examples of corporal punishment. Why do we have corporal punishment,How do we benefit from it and how do we abuse it?. The most obvious reason for corporal punishment is to castigate one for doing wrong by means of physical abuse expecting the individual to learn from his or her mistake.But we must ask ourselves this question.Is the person benefiting from this or is he or she not only being physically abused but mentally.In some cases corporal punishment psychologically effects ones mind on a long term bases that will stain their memory for a very long period of time. In other cases physical punishment scars and stains the body changing its physical appearance but only on a small scale.Corporal punishment is also used because it is quick and in most cases effective.The mental condition of the person being affected may worsen not only resulting to utter madness but may also result in lack of moral strength.Most people nowadays feel that corporal punishment is not the best answer to enforce restrictions in society as they feel,that pain is not the best solution. Although Corporal punishment has its disadvantages it can also make people aware of the fact that wrong doing results in pain and agony.As more people know the effect of misbehaving,the fewer the mistakes there would be.Michael Fae for example, used a paint canister to spray paint on cars for fun.The result for this action was to be strapped four times on the back.Now he realizes what he has to face if he were to do it again. In the past,corporal punishment was used very often especially in schools.Now corporal punishment is banned from most of the schools around the world because a lot of the people who administer it abuse it.Legal problems then arises.Parents have been known to sue the schools for beating their child too severely.They abuse corporal punishment when using it in excess and when it is not neccessary.Because of the abusement the parents feel they have the right to take action against the person who administers the punishment.

My conclusion is that there are a lot of other ways to teach someone what is wrong but corporal punishment is definitely not one of them.

Arguments Against Corporal Punishment in Schools

Summary: A review of research, and opinions by the author, that says spanking is not an effective form of punishment in schools. Researcher says teaching by fear does not enhance development and that the lessons of corporal punishment are short-term. The question posed is, should corporal punishment be used in public schools? I believe that I have a better feel for this issue then most, because I have attended both private and public schools. The private school that I attended was allowed to punish students by spanking them with a paddle. That method of punishment, in my eyes, seemed to be semi-effective. During high school I began to attend a public school which was not allowed to physically punish students in any way. I believe with all the changes taking place in our world today, it is not realistic to think that the idea of corporal punishment would ever take hold again in schools. I think that most children would respond negatively to a change like this and that this change would only create more of a problem in the long run. After reading several articles on corporal punishment it became very clear to me that this type of punishment in schools is not the answer. According to Murray Straus, a sociology professor at the University of New Hampshire said that, "The problem with corporal punishment is that it has lasting effects that include increased aggression and social difficulties." Straus studied more than 800 mothers over a period from 1988 to 1992 and found that the children who were spanked were more rebellious even after taking into accounting their initial behaviors. Groups that advocate for children like The American Academy of Pediatrics and The National Education Association, oppose the practice of corporal punishment in schools for the same reasons that Straus argued (Boser 44). Another interesting point that I found was made by Fredrick Green, author of the humanist. Fredrick said, "The essence of corporal punishment is the influencing of pain and humiliation. It is teaching by fear. I cannot describe either pain or humiliation as being developmentally enhancing." (Keeshan 67) Green advocates "the lessons learned by corporal punishment are short-term and will usually disappear when the treat of punishment disappears." (Keeshan 67) On the other hand some people believe strongly in bringing back the practices of corporal punishment in schools. Researchers at the American Psychological Association Convention in San Francisco studied more than 100 middle-class white families and found no evidence that mild spanking causes lasting emotional harm. "We found no evidence for unique detrimental effects of normative physical punishment," claims Diana Baumrind of the University of California at Berkeley's Institute of Human Development (Davidson 1). This study doesn't really go back to corporal punishment in schools though, because it wasn't punishment that these children were receiving at school from their teachers, it was punishment given to them in their home setting from their parents. Turning to corporal punishment isn't the answer. It has been proven to emotionally affect students. An example is the story of a young girl named Megan Cahanin. Megan was a fourth grader at Zwolle Elementary in Louisiana. She was an honor student who had never been in trouble. Megan was paddled after she was sent to the office for fighting with some of her other classmates. After the "spanking" Megan didn't want to return to school so her parents decided to home-school her, but she missed her friends. Now Megan is a

thriving fifth grader at a new school with new friends, but the memory of this unnecessary punishment will stay with her for the rest of her life. (Jerome 1-2) In closing I believe that corporal punishment in schools is a thing of the past. I think with the way that the United States has changed in the last 20 years it would not be socially expectable to have teachers and principals paddling or spanking other people's children. Parents of today's society sue for their children having to say the word God while reciting the pledge of allegiance. How do you think those parents would respond to having their child hit? Another major concern in public schools today is the violence that is taking place among young children. If we give teachers the right to be violent then it will just encourage the students to become violent as well which is defeating the whole purpose of non-violence in schools. All and all I think that corporal punishment is wrong. Children should be punished when acting out in schools, but that punishment should be in a non-violent form.

Corporal punishment essayWrite meaningful corporal punishment essays; include relevant case studies
In order to make your corporal punishment essay interesting and informative, it is always good to bring in an example that can be backed by proper evidence. If you can find details of a case that has taken place in the recent past, it would add to the quality of your essay on corporal punishment. Since this is a very touchy and delicate issue, it is necessary for you to be very careful while bringing in cases. Make sure you have researched the facts of the case and do not misrepresent anything by mistake. In order to make this article useful to a student who wants to write an essay on punishment in schools, we have included a real-life case. We have presented here a case that has hit the headlines in the Indian state of West Bengal in recent months. Please read on to find out what good corporal punishment essays should contain and how they should be structured.

Facts of the case

Rouvanjit Rawla was a cheerful 13 year old studying in a very prestigious and well known school in Kolkatta. La Martiniere for Boys is a school that has produced some of the most famous stars in India, in many walks of life. Rouvanjit was a normal, talkative and cheerful Grade VIII student, who got into trouble once in a way with his teachers or principal. On one such occasion he was caned by the Principal. A couple of days later, the boy committed suicide. Though there have been claims, counter-claims and accusations flying right, left and center, it is true that it is a case of corporal punishment gone awry.

Here are some of the points that you need to include in your essay
1/Make sure you put together the facts of the case, without leaving anything out in your corporal punishment essay. Try to make it as chronologically correct as possible. This will add to the credibility of the case that you are including. You could use this same idea in a death essay too if you have it as an assignment. 2/If you can bring in some views of experts on the case you need to ensure that you have the details. For instance, a senior lawyer/judge of the highest court in a country might have made a statement about a particular case either to the press or at a hearing. You need to have all these

details accurately recorded if you want your essay to be realistic. Get in touch with us if you are not aware of the right essay writing technique to follow while writing such essays. 3/Corporal punishment is a common topic for a high school essay contest. If you are taking part in one such contest remember not to present a one-sided view just because you are a student. An excellent essay should always address all sides of the issue. Take the help of our experts to ensure that your corporal punishment essays are unbiased and well structured. Our rates are reasonable and well within your budget.