You may have known someone who has been physically punished by an authority figure as a form of discipline. Corporal punishment is the intentional infliction of physical pain for a perceived misbehavior. In America, this practice is illegal against persons such as prison inmates, mental patients, spouses or others in general. This, however, is not the case in some states because corporal punishment is legally preserved for children. This should be banned and legally upheld because physical punishment has negative long-term effects on children’s mental state. In many cases, physical violence does not address the cause of bad behavior. This can also put a strain on the relationship between the parent and child. Children should not receive less protection than adults when it comes to physical punishment, instead we should protect the children that are being abused under the pretense of discipline. Understanding that all children misbehave at some point is key to helping them; It is important to understand the root of their angst. Although specific reasons may vary, behavior is generally a result of the environment. In some cases, the child may act out because of neglect. Addressing the issues of their behavioral problems and finding non-violent means to fixing the problem will help children in the long run.
Hitting a child can also lead to teaching the child to become violent themselves. They will not learn to express their emotions in a healthy way and may have emotional issues because of it. Studies have shown that there is a direct correlation between corporal punishment and aggressive or violent behavior in their adulthood. There exists a connection between frequency of personal violence received as a child and the use of violence interpersonally. This is evident in the behaviors and actions of the most dangerous criminals who were regularly threatened and physically punished as a child. A child learns