Corporal punishment is 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 (Miller, Vandome, & McBrewster, 2009). Corporal punishment can be divided into three categories, these include: judicial, domestic and school. For the purpose of this essay we will be focusing on school corporal punishment, the advantages and guidelines to follow when using corporal punishment and the disadvantages and effects on children when child abuse is used in the name of corporal punishment.
According to Vockell (1991), “Corporal punishment is the infliction of physical pain, contingent upon the occurrence of a misbehavior” (p. 278). It is a very controversial topic that is raised amongst educators across the nation. There are always advantages and disadvantages when hitting a child in the name of corporal punishment and the techniques used when punishing the child. Quite a few people support corporal punishment as an effective way of disciplining a child, while a large number of people believe corporal punishment is a cruel and inhumane way to deal with the child. Sometimes all children need is a little spanking to set them straight, help them see the errors of their ways, but, how would you know when you’re crossed the line from disciplining the child to committing child abuse.
According to an article by Clark (2004):
John Wilson suggests there are six advantages of corporal punishment: cheap and easy to administer, effective deterrent, effective reform, adjustable pain, fair: because of similar dislike of pain, no permanent damage (p.363).
Some people who support corporal punishment can see only the positive effects of these advantages. Out of these six advantages and for the purpose of this essay, we will be focusing on five of the advantages.
The first advantage of corporal punishment is that “it is cheap and easy
Bibliography: B., P. (2006-2011). Phil For Humanity. Retrieved April 25, 2011, from The Pros and Cons Of Corporal Punishment: http://www.philforhumanity.com/Corporal_Punishment.html Benatar, D. (2001, October). Corpun. Retrieved April 25, 2011, from Corporal Punishment: http://www.corpun.com/benatar.htm Clark, J. (2004). Aganist the Corporal Punishment of Children. Cambridge Journal of Education , 363. Europe, C. o. (2007). Abolishing Corporal Punishment of Children: questions and answers. Council of Europe. Miller, F. P., Vandome, A. F., & McBrewster, J. (2009). Corporal Punishment. VDM Publishing House Ltd. Vockell, E. L. (1991). Corporal Punishment: The Pros and Cons. The Clearing House , 278-283.