A word about corporal punishment

HistoryEdit

International treatiesEdit

Modern useEdit

RitualsEdit

In popular cultureEdit

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

Further readingEdit

External linksEdit

Corporal punishment is forced pain intended to change or punish a person’s behavior. Historically speaking, most punishments, whether in judicial, domestic, or educational settings, were corporal in basis. In modern days, corporal punishment has been largely rejected in favor of other disciplinary methods. Modern judiciaries often favor fines or incarceration, whilst modern school discipline generally avoids physical correction altogether. There has been much dispute over where the line should be drawn between corporal punishment and torture, or whether any physical punishment methods are acceptable at all.

As humankind has advanced, recognizing the human rights of all, especially those of children, the use of corporal punishment has declined, and been outlawed in many societies. Yet, the need to discipline those who violate the norms or laws of their society remains. Childrearing and schooling both require guidance from an authority figure, who must have at their disposal appropriate methods of disciplining those who deviate from acceptable behavior. In a caring society, however, those methods need not involve physical pain; alternatives exist and are preferable, bringing about the same result. Equally, those who violate the law can be incarcerated rather than whipped or otherwise physically punished.

History of corporal punishment

While the early history of corporal punishment is unclear, the practice was certainly present in classical civilizations, being used in Greece, Rome, Egypt, and Israel, for both judicial and educational discipline. Practices varied greatly, though scourging and beating with sticks were common. Some states gained a reputation for using such punishments cruelly; Sparta, in particular, used frequent part of a disciplinary regime designed to build willpower and physical strength. Although the Spartan example was unusually extreme, corporal punishment was possibly the most common type of punishment.

In Medieval Europe, corporal punishment was encouraged by the attitudes of the medieval church towards the human body, with flagellation being a common means of self-discipline. In particular, this had a major 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 cruel treatment of children.^[1]

From the sixteenth century onwards, new trends were seen in corporal punishment. Judicial punishments were increasingly made into public spectacles, with the public beatings of criminals intended as a deterrent to other would-be miscreants. Meanwhile, early writers on education, such as Roger Ascham, complained of the arbitrary manner in which children were punished.^[2] Probably the most influential writer on the subject was the English philosopher John Locke, whose Some Thoughts Concerning Education explicitly criticized the central role of corporal punishment in education. Locke’s work was highly influential, and in part influenced Polish legislators to ban corporal punishment from Poland’s schools in 1783.^[3]

During the eighteenth century, the frequent use of corporal punishment was heavily criticized, both by philosophers and legal reformers. Merely inflicting pain on miscreants was seen as inefficient, influencing the subject merely for a short period of time and effecting no permanent change in their behavior. Critics 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 reduced the need of measures such as corporal punishment.^[4]

A consequence of this mode of thinking was a diminution of corporal punishment throughout the nineteenth 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 1847, and the death of Reginald Cancellor, who was killed by his schoolmaster in 1860.^[5] Events such as these mobilized public opinion, and in response, many countries introduced thorough regulation of the infliction of corporal punishment in state institutions.

The use of corporal punishment declined through the twentieth century, though the practice has proved most persistent as a punishment for violation of prison rules, as a military field punishment, and in schools.

Administration of punishment

In formal punishment, medical supervision is often considered necessary to assess whether the target of punishment is in a fit condition to be beaten and to oversee the punishment to prevent serious injury from occurring. The role of the medical officer was particularly important in the nineteenth century, a time in which severe punishment was common, but growing public criticism of the practice encouraged medical regulation.

Corporal punishment can be directed at a number of different anatomical targets, the choice depending on a number of factors. The humiliation and pain of a particular punishment have always been primary concerns, but convenience and custom are also factors. There is an additional concern in the modern world about the permanent harm that can result from punishment, though this was rarely a factor before the nineteenth century. The intention of corporal punishment is to discipline an individual with the infliction of a measure of pain, and permanent injury is considered counterproductive.

• Most commonly, corporal punishment is directed at the buttocks, with some languages having a specific word for their chastisement. For example, the French call this fessée, the Spanish nalgada. The English term «spanking» refers to punishment on the buttocks, though only with the open hand. This part of the body is often chosen because it is painful, but is arguably unlikely to cause long-term physical harm. In the United Kingdom the term spanking is becoming more associated with sex play and the term smacking is used more often.
• The back is commonly targeted in military and judicial punishments, particularly popular in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. However, damage to both spine and kidneys is possible and such punishment is rarely used in the modern world.
• Although the face and particularly the cheeks may be struck in domestic punishment, formal punishments avoid the head because of the serious injuries that can result. In some countries, domestic and school punishments aimed at the head are considered assault.
• The hands are a common target in school discipline, though rarely targeted in other forms of corporal punishment. Since serious injury can be caused by striking the hand, the implements used and the numbers of blows must be strictly controlled.
• In Western Asia, corporal punishment was directed against the feet. Although this was mostly used on criminals, a version was in use in schools in the region.

One common problem with corporal punishment is the difficulty with which an objective measure of pain can be determined and delivered. In the nineteenth century, scientists such as Alexander Bain and Francis Galton suggested scientific solutions to this, such as the use of electricity.^[6] These were, however, unpopular and perceived as cruel. The difficulty in inflicting a set measure of pain makes it difficult to distinguish punishment from abuse, and has contributed to calls for the abolition of the practice.

Types

Spanking

Spanking, by today’s definition, consists of striking the buttocks, with either an open hand or various implements including a cane, a belt, or strap, various types of whips, such as the martinet and the tawse, a switch or other form of rod, a paddle, some curious devices such as the electric so-called spanker and trickster paddling machines, or various household objects designed for other purposes, such as a slipper, a wooden spoon, a bath brush, a wooden ruler, or a hairbrush. Spanking (or smacking) is the most commonly-used form of corporal punishment, consisting of one or more sharp smacks applied on the buttocks.

The verb to spank has been known in English since 1727, possibly onomatopeic in nature.

It is remarkable that English and several other languages have a specific, common verb for spanking, that distinguishes it from corporal punishment applied to parts of the anatomy other than the buttocks. Thus, in Latin, the only word derived from culus (buttocks) was culare, meaning «to spank,» similar to the Italian sculacciare; in French, the verb is fesser, also from «fesses» (buttocks). All of these terms testify to the historical or persisting prominence of this punitive target in many cultures.

Birching

Birching is a corporal punishment with a birch rod, typically applied to the recipient’s bare buttocks, although occasionally to the back and/or shoulders.

A birch rod (often shortened to «birch») is a bundle of leafless twigs bound together to form an implement for flagellation.

Contrary to what the name suggests, a birch rod is not a single rod and is not necessarily made from a birch tree, but can also be made from various other strong but flexible trees or shrubs, such as willow (hence the term willowing). A hazel rod is very tough, and therefore particularly painful; a bundle of four or five hazel twigs was used from 1960 until 1976 on the Isle of Man, the last place in Europe to use birching as a judicial penalty.

Another parameter for the severity of a birch rod is its size—its length, weight and number of branches. In some penal institutions, several versions were in use, which were often given names. For example, in Dartmoor Prison the device used to punish male offenders above the age of 16—weighing some 16 ounces and a full 48 inches long—was known as the «senior birch.»

There have been differing opinions as to the utility of soaking the birch in liquid before use, but as it takes in water the weight is certainly increased without compensatory air resistance, so the impact must be greater if the operator can use sufficient force.

In the 1860s, the Royal Navy abandoned the use of the cat o’ nine tails on boy seamen. The cat had acquired a nasty reputation because of its frequent use in prisons, and was replaced by the birch, with which the wealthy classes were more familiar, having been chastised with it at their private schools. The judicial system followed the Navy’s example and switched to birches also. In an attempt to standardize the Navy’s birches the Admiralty had specimens according to all prevailing prescriptions, called «patterned birch» (as well as a «patterned cane»), kept in every major dockyard, for birches had to be procured on land in quantities, suggesting some were worn out on the sore bottoms of miscreant boys.

The term judicial birch refers to the severe type in use for court-ordered birchings, especially the Manx hazel birch. A 1951, memorandum (possibly confirming earlier practice) ordered all UK male prisons to use only birches (and cats o’ nine tails) from a national stock at south London’s Wandsworth prison, where they were to be «thoroughly» tested before being supplied in triplicate to a prison whenever a procedure was pending for use as prison discipline.

By contrast, terms like Eton birch (after the most prestigious private school in England) are used for a birch made from birch tree twigs.

Caning

Caning is a physical punishment consisting of a number of hits (known as «strokes» or «cuts») with a wooden cane, generally applied to the bare or clad buttocks, shoulders, hand(s) (palm, rarely knuckles), or even the soles of the feet (as in falaka). The size and flexibility of the cane itself and the number and mode of application of the strokes (usually more numerous and faster when wielding a light, flexible cane) vary significantly.

Paddle

A spanking paddle is a usually wooden instrument with a long, flat face and narrow neck, so called because it is roughly shaped like the piece of sports equipment, but existing in more varied sizes and dimensions (length, width, and thickness), used to administer a spanking to the buttocks; it would be too hard and heavy to use safely on the back. A spanking paddle can sometimes be called shingle, apparently after its form, or be given names (rather like weapons in military and police units). Educators and children in households where a paddle is used for discipline sometimes award the paddle such nicknames also, such as «Lola’s bane,» «The ‘Board’ of Education,» and «Mother’s Little Helper.» (Confusingly, sometimes non-wooden flat devices, such as leather straps, are wrongly called paddles, even in official institutions.)

The term fraternity paddle (its more recent counterpart is sorority paddle) was introduced for hazing or punishment, which was often kept by an alumnus (to discipline his or her children), especially if it carries Greek-organization markings. It is still commonly offered by pledges («little Brothers» or -sisters) to their «big Brothers» or «big Sisters» as a gift. It is a symbol of their induction to the sorority or fraternity.

Ritual

Corporal punishment in formal settings, such as schools and prisons, is often highly ritualized, sometimes even staged in a highly theatrical manner. To a great extent, the spectacle of punishment is intended to act as a deterrent to others and a theatrical approach is one result of this.

One consequence of the ritualized nature of much punishment has been the development of a wide variety of equipment used. Formal punishment often begins with the victim stripped of some or all of their clothing and secured to a piece of furniture, such as a trestle, frame, punishment horse or falaka. A variety of implements are then used to inflict blows on the victim. The terms used to describe these are not fixed, varying by country and by context. There are, however, a number of common types which are frequently encountered when reading about corporal punishment. These are:

• The bastinado
• The rod—a thin, flexible rod is often called a switch
• The birch, a number of strong, flexible branches, bound together in their natural state
• The bamboo canes—a durable rottan cane is often called a rattan
• The paddle, a flat wooden board or leather pad with a handle
• The strap—a strap with a number of tails at one end is called a tawse in Scotland and northern England
• The whip—varieties include the Russian knout and South African sjambok, in addition to the scourge and martinet
• The cat o’ nine tails was a popular implement used in naval discipline
• The hairbrush and belt are traditionally used in the United States and Great Britain as an implement for domestic spanking
• The wooden spoon, commonly used in Australia
• The wired clothes hanger, a common and easily available substitute for a bamboo canes in Hong Kong

In some instances, the victim of punishment is required to prepare the implement which will be used upon them. For instance, sailors were employed in preparing the cat o’ nine tails which would be used upon their own back, whilst children were sent 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, or hairbrushes to be used in domestic punishment, whilst rulers and other classroom equipment have been used in schools.

Boys were beaten under the old tradition of «Beating the Bounds,» where a boy was paraded around the boundary of an area of a city or district and would often ask to be beaten on the buttocks. One famous «Beating the Bounds» happened around the boundary of St Giles and the area where Tottenham Court Road now stands in London. The actual stone that separated the boundary is now under the Centerpoint office block.

In law

While the domestic corporal punishment of children is still accepted in some countries (mostly Eastern), it is declining in many others, it is also illegal in a number of countries. The practice has been banned in Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Romania, South Africa, Sweden, the Netherlands, Ukraine and New Zealand.^[7] These developments are comparatively recent, with Sweden, in 1979, being the first country to forbid corporal punishment by law.^[8] In a number of other countries there is active debate about its continued usage. In the United Kingdom its total abolition has been discussed.

United Nations human rights standards prohibit all corporal punishment.^[9]

Such debates, however, do not always lead to the banning of domestic corporal punishment and The Supreme Court of Canada recently reaffirmed, in Foundation v. Canada, the right of a parent or guardian to use corporal punishment on children between the ages of two and twelve; this decision was contentious, being based upon s.43 of the Criminal Code of Canada, a provision enacted in 1892.^[10] Similarly, despite some opposition to corporal punishment in the U.S., spanking children is legal, with some states explicitly allowing it in their law and 23 U.S. states allowing its use in public schools.^[11]

In most parts of Eastern Asia (including China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea), it is legal to punish one’s own child using physical means. In Singapore and Hong Kong, punishing one’s own child with corporal punishment is either legal but discouraged, or illegal but without active enforcement of the relevant laws. Culturally, people in the region generally believe a minimal amount of corporal punishment for their own children is appropriate and necessary, and thus such practice is tolerated by the society as a whole.

The People’s Republic of China and Taiwan have both made corporal punishment against children illegal in the school system, but it is still known to be practiced in some form in many areas. The most common forms of punishment are mild chastisements, such as shaking by the arm or shoulder, or slapping the back of the head or ear; more serious punishments, such as striking with the cane, are less common. Such incidents are increasingly leading to public outcry, and in recent years have lead to the dismissal of teaching staff. Similarly, in South Korea, corporal punishments occur for students if they forget their homework, violate school rules, or are tardy to school.

There is resistance, particularly from conservatives, against making the corporal punishment of children by their parents or guardians illegal. In 2004, the United States declined to become a signatory of the United Nations’s «Rights of the Child» because of its sanctions on parental discipline, citing the tradition of parental authority in that country and of privacy in family decision-making.

Most countries have banned the use of corporal punishment in schools, beginning with Poland in 1783. The practice is still used in schools in some parts of the United States (approximately half the states, but varying by school districts within them), though it is banned in others. Many schools, even within the 23 states, require written parent approval before any physical force is used upon a child.

Criticisms

Many opponents of corporal punishment argue that any form of violence is, by definition, abusive. Psychological research indicates that corporal punishment causes the destruction of trust bonds between parents and children. Children subjected to corporal punishment may grow resentful, shy, insecure, or violent. Adults who report having been slapped or spanked by their parents in childhood have been found to experience elevated rates of anxiety disorder, alcohol abuse or dependence, and externalization of problems as adults.^[12] Some researchers believe that corporal punishment actually works against its objective (normally obedience), since children will not voluntarily obey an adult they do not trust. A child who is physically punished may have to be punished more often than a child who is not. Researcher Elizabeth Gershoff, in a 2002 meta-analytic study that combined 60 years of research on corporal punishment, found that the only positive outcome of corporal punishment was immediate compliance; however, corporal punishment was associated with less long-term compliance.^[13] Corporal punishment was linked with nine other negative outcomes, including increased rates of aggression, delinquency, mental health problems, problems in relationships with their parents, and likelihood of being physically abused.

Opponents claim that much child abuse begins with spanking: A parent accustomed to using corporal punishment may find it all too easy, when frustrated, to step over the line into physical abuse. One study found that 40 percent of 111 mothers were worried that they could possibly hurt their children.^[14] It is argued that frustrated parents turn to spanking when attempting to discipline their child, and then get carried away (given the arguable continuum between spanking and hitting). This «continuum» argument also raises the question of whether a spank can be «too hard» and how (if at all) this can be defined in practical terms. This in turn leads to the question whether parents who spank their children «too hard» are crossing the line and beginning to abuse them.

Before 1997, although there were many studies linking spanking with higher levels of misbehavior in children, people could argue that it was the misbehavior that caused the spanking. However, since that time, several studies have examined changes in behavior over time and propose a link between corporal punishment and increasing relative levels of misbehavior compared to similar children who were not corporally punished. Reasons for corporal punishment possibly causing increased misbehavior in the long run may include: Children imitating the corporally-punishing behavior of their parents by hitting other people; acting out of resentment stemming from corporal punishment; reduced self-esteem; loss of opportunities to learn peaceful conflict resolution; punishing the parents for the acts of corporal punishment; and assertion of freedom and dignity by refusing to be controlled by corporal punishment.

The problem with the use of corporal punishment is that, if punishments are to maintain their efficacy, the amount of force required may have to be increased over successive punishments. This was observed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which stated that: «The only way to maintain the initial effect of spanking is to systematically increase the intensity with which it is delivered, which can quickly escalate into abuse.» Additionally, the Academy noted that: «Parents who spank their children are more likely to use other unacceptable forms of corporal punishment.»^[15]

Another problem with corporal punishment, according to the skeptics, is that it polarizes the parent-child relationship, reducing the amount of spontaneous cooperation on the part of the child. The AAP policy statement says «…reliance on spanking as a discipline approach makes other discipline strategies less effective to use.» Thus it has an addiction-like effect: The more one spanks, the more one feels a need to spank, possibly escalating until the situation is out of control.

Notes

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Cooper, William. A History of the Rod, 2003. ISBN 1899861203
• Gibson, Ian. The English Vice: Beating, Sex, and Shame in Victorian England and After. London: Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd., 1978. ISBN 0715612646
• Hardy, Janet. The Toybag Guide to Canes and Caning. Greenery Press, 2004. ISBN 1890159565
• Newman, Graeme. Just And Painful: A Case for Corporal Punishment of Criminals. Criminal Justice Press, 1995. ISBN 0911577335
• Scott, George. The History of Corporal Punishment. Merchant Book Company, 1996. ISBN 1859584934
• Strauss, Murray. Beating the Devil Out of Them: Corporal Punishment in American Families. Lexington Books, 1994. ISBN 0029317304

External links

All links retrieved April 6, 2022.

• Corporal punishment of children: spanking/whipping/caning Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
• World Corporal Punishment Research, a vast repository of material concerning corporal punishments
• Is Corporal Punishment An Effective Means Of Discipline? (American Psychological Association)

Corporal punishment is a physical punishment which inflicts pain as justice for many different types of offenses. This punishment has been historically used in schools, the home, and the judicial system. While this is a general type of punishment, it is often most associated with children, and the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child defined it as “any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort.”

Corporal Punishment Definition

Corporal punishment exists in varying degrees of severity, from spanking, often used on children and students, to whipping or caning. Currently, severe corporal punishment is largely outlawed.

In many countries, domestic corporal punishment is allowed as reasonable punishment, whereas in others, such as Sweden, all physical punishment of children is prohibited. In schools, physical punishment is outlawed in 128 countries, but is lawful in some situations in Australia, the Republic of South Korea, and the United States (where it is legal in 19 states).

Corporal Punishment in Schools

Corporal punishment has been used widely in schools for thousands of years for legal and religious reasons and has spawned old proverbs such as “spare the rod and spoil the child,” which is a paraphrase of the biblical verse, “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.” However, this type of punishment is not limited to Christian-majority nations and has been a staple of school discipline across the globe.

The international push to outlaw corporal punishment in schools has been fairly recent. In Europe, the prohibition of physical punishment in schools began in the late 1990s, and in South America in the 2000s. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child occurred as recently as 2011.

In the United States, corporal punishment is mostly eradicated from private schools but is legal in public schools. In September of 2018, a school in the state of Georgia garnered national attention by sending home a “consent to paddle” form, informing parents of the renewed use of the paddle, a punishment that mostly disappeared in schools in the past few decades.

Corporal Punishment in the Home

Physical punishment in the home, however, is much more difficult to regulate. In regards to children, it has a similar historical precedent as this type of punishment in schools. According to a report by UNICEF, more than a quarter of caregivers in the world believe that physical punishment is a necessary aspect of the discipline. Many countries that expressly prohibit corporal punishment in schools have not outlawed it in the home.

The U.N. has adopted child abuse as a human rights abuse, but there is no strict international definition as to what separates abuse from discipline, making it more difficult to legislate. In the United States, the distinction is made on a state-by-state basis usually defining discipline as the use of appropriate and necessary force, whereas abuse is more severe. Some states do define exactly which techniques are not allowed (such as kicking, close-fisted striking, burning, etc). This distinction is fairly normalized internationally, though methods of discipline vary by culture, region, geography, and age.

Corporal punishment has also existed in the home historically as a method to discipline servants and enslaved people. Worldwide, enslaved people and servants have been whipped, beaten, and burned for alleged wrongdoings. This type of punishment is still domestic because the method of discipline was fully within the control of the boss or owner.

Judicial Corporal Punishment

While it is less practiced today, physical punishment of criminals, known as judicial corporal punishment, is still in effect. Judicial corporal punishment is now outlawed in most countries in the Western Hemisphere but is legal in some other regions, and the most common punishment is whipping or caning. The main difference between this type of punishment and the others explained above is that judicial corporal punishment is systematic. It is not an individual choice of the person in power, but a regulated punishment that is generally uniform across punishers. Therefore, although there is widespread violence by police and prison guards against those suspected or guilty of a crime, it cannot be considered judicial corporal punishment because it is not an officially sanctioned punishment.

Medieval methods of corporal punishment were intended to torture as well as punish. Thievery was punished by amputating the hand of the thief so the public was aware of his crime. Additionally, gossips were put in a device called a bridle, which was a mask-like object that stuck spikes in the mouth of the offender which prevented them from speaking or even closing their mouth fully. Other punishments such as being suspended in cages or placed inside stocks were intended to shame, but cause mild to moderate discomfort as a side effect.

Later, into the 18th and 19th century, forms of punishment specifically in the West became less severe and more focused on immediate pain as opposed to torture or public humiliation (with the exception of the U.S. colonies’ famous tar and feathering). Caning, whipping, and flogging were the most common, but more serious punishments such as castration were still used for crimes of a sexual nature.

By the middle of the 20th century, most Western nations, and many others throughout the globe outlawed corporal punishment. In states where this form of punishment is still legal, anything that constitutes torture is illegal under international humanitarian law. Regardless of the legality, there are also different degrees to which it is enforced. Therefore, while it may be outlawed nationally, some tribes or local communities may continue to practice it.

Conclusion

While corporal punishment is phasing out of use legally and socially, it is still a tradition and is passed down through generations regardless of legality. It is an especially difficult practice to control because, with the exception of judicial punishment, it is often individual and in the domestic sphere where there is less governmental oversight. However, greater oversight, especially in schools, as well as improved conflict and resolution training in the home, can help ensure that corporal punishment is not the primary method of punishment.

Sources

• Gershoff, E. T., & Font, S. A. (2016). Corporal Punishment in U.S. Public Schools: Prevalence, Disparities in Use, and Status in State and Federal Policy. Social policy report, 30, 1.
• Arafa, Mohamed A. and Burns, Jonathan, Judicial Corporal Punishment in the United States? Lessons from Islamic Criminal Law for Curing the Ills of Mass Incarceration (January 25, 2016). 25 Indiana International & Comparative Law Review 3, 2015. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2722140

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 family—typically, 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 29 countries.^[2]

Corporal punishment in school is still legal in some parts of the world, including 20 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.

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 8–10 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]

Poland has been the first country in the world to prohibit corporal punishment in 1783 ^[10]. 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.^[11]

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.^[12]

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,^[13] and the death of Reginald Cancellor, who was killed by his schoolmaster in 1860.^[14] 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».^[15] 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.^[16][17] 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.

Modern use

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.^[18] Spankings may be delivered over the trousers, over the undergarments, or upon the bare buttocks.^[19]

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.^[20]

Corporal punishment in schools

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.

Judicial or quasi-judicial punishment

Main article: 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.^[21] 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.^[22][23][24] However, the term «corporal punishment» has since the 19th century usually meant caning, flogging or whipping rather than those other types of physical penalty.^{[25][26][27][28][29][30][31]}

Pros and cons of corporal punishment

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.^[32][33]

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.^[34]

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 authorities—the judiciary, parents, or teachers—using 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.»^[35]

Kay Hymowitz in her book, Who Killed Discipline in School? states, «Ask Americans what worries them most about public schools and the answer might surprise you; discipline. For several decades now, poll after poll shows it topping the list of parents’ concerns. Hymowitz says that, «the public’s sense that something has gone drastically wrong with school discipline isn’t mistaken. Over the past thirty years or so, the courts and federal government have hacked away at the power of educators to maintain a safe and civil school environment.»^[36]

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.^[28] Indeed, some languages have a specific word for their chastisement: spanking in English, fessée 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.^[37]
• The soles of the feet are extremely sensitive, and flogging them (falaka), as has been sometimes done in the Middle East, is excruciating.

Ritual and punishment

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,^[38][39] (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.^[40] 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.^[41]

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.^[42] 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.^[43]

See also

References

External links

• Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance spanking page
• List of worldwide bans on Corporal Punishment at Center for Effective Discipline
• World Corporal Punishment Research

Corporal punishment encompasses all types of physical punishment, including spanking, slapping, pinching, pulling, twisting, and hitting with an object. It also may include forcing a child to consume unpleasant substances such as soap, hot sauce, or hot pepper.

Corporal punishment is a hot topic that is widely debated by parenting experts, psychologists, and parents. Fueled by news stories about child abuse, many of those opposed to corporal punishment question whether or not it should remain legal and what steps could be taken to reduce incidents of physical abuse to children.

In the United States, corporal punishment is legal on a federal level, but state laws vary on what types of physical punishments are allowed.

What Pediatricians Say

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has taken a firm stance against any type of corporal punishment. Its policy on corporal punishment, published in 2018, encourages parents and caregivers to use healthy forms of discipline when correcting their children and to refrain from using corporal punishment. Here is an excerpt from their policy.

The AAP recommends that parents, schools, and caregivers refrain from using any type of physical punishment with children, including spanking and paddling in schools. The AAP policy also indicates that corporal punishment is ineffective over the long-term and leads to negative outcomes.

Despite the AAP’s position, paddling is still allowed in public schools in 19 U.S. states. Yet states with stricter laws regarding corporal punishment consider hitting children with a wooden paddle child abuse. A study conducted by the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch in 2015 found that Black students and disabled students were paddled most often.

Many countries have banned any type of corporal punishment, including spanking. Sweden became the first country to ban corporal punishment in 1979. Since then, other countries such as Germany and Brazil also have made spanking children illegal.

In 2006, the Committee on the Rights of the Child released a statement declaring that corporal punishment is a form of violence that should be banned in all contexts. Other human rights organizations have issued similar warnings about spanking.

Consequences

Teaching children acceptable behaviors, including how to make good choices and exercise self-control, is an integral part of child-rearing. But many parents rely on physical punishments to accomplish these goals.

These parents do not intend to harm their children when using corporal punishment; but instead, believe it is an effective discipline strategy. The issue is that corporal punishment is generally more harmful than it is helpful.

It Makes Behavior Worse

While corporal punishment may lead to immediate compliance, researchers have found that the changes in behavior may only be short-term. Studies consistently show that over the long term, corporal punishment is ineffective and may even cause behavior problems to worsen over time.

For instance, spanking children increases aggressive behavior. A multitude of research studies has found that kids who are spanked are more likely to hit other people.

The reason behind this is simple. Corporal punishment models aggressive behavior, which teaches children to solve problems with violence. It also can lead to bullying, dating violence, and other problem behaviors that rely on having power over someone else.

It Is Ineffective

Spanking is not any more effective than time-out. Research shows that spanking quickly loses effectiveness over time. When children are spanked, they don’t learn how to make better choices. And eventually, spanking stops being a deterrent. 

It Hurts Relationships

Spanking and other physical punishments damage the relationship between kids and their parents or caregivers. Trust, stability, safety, and security are the keys to helping children develop the skills they need to manage their behavior. Corporal punishment erodes that relationship.

It Is Linked to Mental Illness

Research has shown that children who are subjected to corporal punishment, such as spanking, pushing, grabbing, and paddling, are more likely to develop mental health disorders. One study reported that harsh physical punishment was associated with increased odds of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and personality disorders. 

What Parents Believe

Despite public opposition to spanking, a survey conducted by the Harris Poll in 2013 discovered that 81% of Americans privately support spanking children. The poll found that older generations are more accepting of spanking, with 88% of mature parents, 85% of baby boomers, 82% of Gen X parents, and 72% of Millennial parents approving of corporal punishment.

Of course, there are a number of different ways in which parents define corporal punishment. Some parents consider spanking with an open hand on a child’s bottom acceptable but believe that all other forms of physical punishment are unacceptable.

Others believe that any type of physical punishment is appropriate, including taking a switch to a child, slapping a child’s mouth, twisting an ear, pinching an arm, and so on.

Alternatives

Discipline shouldn’t be about controlling kids. Instead, it should be about teaching them to control themselves. As a result, it is best to use strategies that will help your children learn from their mistakes while also cultivating better decision-making skills. These skills will help them make better choices in the future.

If you currently use corporal punishment with your child, you may want to consider the potential long-term consequences this could have on your child’s well-being. Instead, consider alternative discipline strategies that could be more effective.

• Take away certain privileges, such as electronics, for 24 hours. That will hurt more than a spanking will.
• Place a younger child in time-out. If your child refuses to go to time-out, take away a privilege.
• Use restitution if your children’s behavior hurts someone else. Assign an extra chore or have them perform a duty that will help make amends.
• Implement logical consequences that teach life lessons. If your kids break something, make them do chores to earn money to fix it.
• Use positive reinforcement to encourage good behavior too. For instance, establish a reward system or a token economy system to help your child address specific behavior problems.

A Word From Verywell

If you have concerns about your children’s behavior or if they don’t seem to be responding to your discipline strategies, seek professional help. Talk to your pediatrician about what steps you can take to address misbehavior in a healthy way.

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PRONUNCIATION OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT

Corporal punishment is a noun.

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Definition of corporal punishment in the English dictionary

The definition of corporal punishment in the dictionary is punishment of a physical nature, such as caning, flogging, or beating.

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REFERENCE

« EDUCALINGO. Corporal punishment [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/corporal-punishment>. Apr 2023 ».