That corporal punishment is wrong

Corporal punishment is the very common act of spanking or hitting your child to teach your child a lesson and to prevent bad behavior. In this debate, I will be showing that this is not the way to teach your child, with these arguments. I will be looking at both ways of corporal punishment; at home, and at schools.

1. Hitting is frequently done impulsively.

A study shows that parents are more likely to spank or hit their child almost immediately. In 10 minute audio recordings, it seems like the child is getting hit without them explaining why they have done their behavior. Parents usually hit out of frustration without actually thinking about the severity of what that child has done. They also spank their child for minor infractions, not just major ones. The practice of hitting a child is recommended to be the last resort, however, according to these studies, they seem to be doing it impulsively. They also recommend doing it once or twice however these audio recordings show them hitting their child a lot more than that. Basically, parents are abusing or overexaggerating moments to use the practice of corporal punishment. To extend on this, Holden states:"From the audio, we heard parents hitting their children for the most extraordinarily mundane offenses, typically violations of social convention. Also, corporal punishment wasn't being used as a last resort. On average, parents hit or spanked just half a minute after the conflict began." [1]

2. Hitting causes externalization of behavior and increases in aggression.

A study from Michael Mackenzie of Columbia University indicated that maternal spanking at age 5 was associated with greater aggression and rule-breaking by the time children were age 9. In addition, lower scores on vocabulary tests by the age of 9 were also associated with the use of spanking at age 5. [2]

3. Hitting children affects their development.

A study from Akemi Tomoda (et al.) showed that harsh corporal punishment reduced children’s gray matter, which processes information in the brain. Another study showed that corporal punishment had a bidirectional relationship with a lower cognitive ability, meaning that parents tend to hit children with lesser cognitive ability more frequently (most likely out of frustration), and children who experience corporal punishment often had a lower cognitive ability as a result. These negative effects on the brain can surely be connected to the increased aggression and externalization of behavior found in the other studies. [2] [3] [4]

3.1 Hitting causes mental illnesses.

The study, named "Physical Punishment and Mental Disorders: Results From a Nationally Representative U.S. Sample," is released in the August edition ofPediatrics, which is online July 2nd.

It states clearly that children who are spanked, hit or pushed have an increased risk of mental problems when they grow older. The research seems to show that the effect can range from mood and anxiety disorders to drug and alcohol abuse. Around 2% to 7% of children are affected by physical punishment. [5]

Corporate punishment causes lower academic success.

Aside from the infliction of pain and the physical injuries which often result from the use physical punishments, these violent disciplinary methods also impact students' academic achievement and long-term well-being.[6] Despite significant evidence that corporal punishment is detrimental to a productive learning environment, there is currently no federal prohibition on the use of physical discipline against children in public school. In fact, children in some states receive greater protection against corporal punishment in detention facilities than they do in their public schools.[7] For this reason and others, the ACLU and HRW are encouraged that this subcommittee is seeking to address the problems stemming from corporal punishment in schools.[8]

Those are my arguments.

[1]https://www.sciencedaily.com...

[2]https://www.theodysseyonline.com...

[3]http://www.cnn.com...

[4]http://pubpages.unh.edu...

[5]https://www.medicalnewstoday.com...

[6]See generally, A Violent Education, at 57; Impairing Education, at 4-5.

[7]Corporal punishment of children in juvenile justice facilities have been prohibited by the Courts of Appeals in several Federal Circuits. See Nelson v. Heyne, 491 F.2d 352 (7th Cir. 1974), cert. denied 417 U.S. 476 (paddling of children in juvenile detention was a violation of the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment); Morales v. Turman, 562 F.2d 993, 998 (5th Cir. 1977) (corporal punishment and physical abuse in juvenile detention facilities subject to prohibition as a violation of Eighth Amendment), rev'd on other grounds, 535 F.2d 864 (5th Cir. 1976),rev'd and remanded, 430 U.S. 322 (1977).See also, Santana v. Collazo, 533 F. Supp. 966 (D.P.R. 1982)(corporal punishment against juveniles in industrial schools and juvenile camps violates Eighth Amendment and is barred "for any reason"), aff'g in part and vacated in part,714 F.2d 1172 (1st Cir. 1983), cert. denied,466 U.S. 974 (1984). The American Correctional Association has also issued standards banning the use of corporal punishment in juvenile facilities.SeealsoSteven J. Martin, Staff Use of Force in United States Confinement Settings, 22 Wash. U. J.L. & Poly 145 (2006). In addition, corporal punishment and other harsh disciplinary practices are prohibited in publicly-funded non-medical substance abuse and long-term medical care facilities.See, e.g.,42 U.S.C. § 290jj (banning corporal punishment in "non-medical community-based facilities for children and youth."); 42 C.F.R. § 483.13 (banning corporal punishment in long-term medical care facilities).

[8]https://www.hrw.org...