HD 497 Lecture 5 Corporal Punishment Slide 1 Slide title HD 300 Child Abuse Neglect Slide content Unit 5 Corporal Punishment Spanking Audio Spanking is a hot button issue for many On one side of the argument those who do not spank are viewed as not disciplining their children On the other side the idea of a 150 pound adult hitting a 50 pound child is abusive Research on the outcomes to children who are spanked has been on going for more than 30 years and we are going to explore some of those findings in this unit Slide 2 Slide title Definition Slide content Corporal punishment is the use of force With the intention of causing pain But not injury For the purpose of correction Or to control the child s behavior Audio First defining corporal punishment or spanking Corporal punishment is the use of force with the intention of causing pain but not injury for the purpose of correction or to control child s behavior Slide 3 Slide title What Constitutes Pain Slide content How much pain is enough pain How much force is necessary to cause enough pain How can one measure that force Page 1 of 15 How can one determine whether the child has been injured Audio One of the issues that comes up is then what constitutes pain How much pain is enough pain How much force is necessary to cause enough pain And how can one measure that force And how can one determine whether the child has been injured So these are some of the issues that come up with parents who spank their children It is really not possible to measure pain or whether or not the child has been injured or the force of the enough to cause pain Slide 4 Slide title State Laws Slide content No U S federal laws that prohibit caregivers from spanking a child Wide variation between states Texas The use of force but not deadly force Spanker is the parent or step parent or acting in loco Parentis When the spanker believes that force is necessary to discipline the child Audio Some of the state laws first of all now federal laws exist in the United States that prohibit caregivers from spanking a child However some European countries do have laws that say that no one can use corporal punishment on a child but the United States of a whole does not have a federal law Some states however do but there is wide variation between the states Let s just look at a few For example in Texas it is legal to use force but not deadly force on a child The spanker must be the parent step parent or anting in loco parentis or when the spanker believes that force is necessary to discipline the child So these three factors need to be in place in order for spanking to be legal Slide 5 Slide title State Laws Slide content New Hampshire Parent or guardian is justified in using force if he reasonably believes it necessary to prevent or punish misconduct Washington Page 2 of 15 HB 3299 would have allowed any type of punishment that did not cause risk of death or permanent impairment The bill did not pass Audio Other state laws in New Hampshire their definition is a parent or a guardian is justified in using force if he reasonably believes it is necessary to prevent or to punish misconduct In Washington state a legislator brought forth a bill it was House Bill 3299 and that bill would have allowed any type of punishment that did not cause risk of death or permanent impairment That bill did not pass fortunately for the children in Washington Slide 6 Slide title How Common in U S Slide content 90 of parents have administered physical punishment to their children 93 of U S citizens report having received physical punishment as a child Currently 55 approve of spanking as a method of punishment Audio Well how common is corporal punishment in the United States Research shows that 90 percent of parents have administered physical punishment to their children and 93 of U S adults report having received physical punishment as a child Currently 55 percent approve of spanking as a method of punishment That is more than half of the U S population but that is down significantly consider that toward the earlier parts of the 20th century over 90 percent of parents approved of it Then there was a drop to 85 percent and then 68 percent and now we are down to 55 percent as of today or as of the most current research Slide 7 Slide title Spanking Slide content Spanking peaks when children are 2 to 4 years of age Spanking begins in infancy peaks at age 3 or 4 and then declines as the child gets older Approximately 25 of children age 15 17 are still being spanked Boys are spanked more but not much more Audio Spanking peaks when children are 2 to 4 years of age So toddlers are the most likely to be getting spanked However it begins in infancy peaks at age 3 or 4 and then declines as the child gets older However approximately 25 percent of children age 15 to 17 report that they are still being spanked When looking at boys or girls boys are spanked more but not much more than Page 3 of 15 girls Slide 8 Slide title Is Spanking Violence Slide content Violence Intention to cause pain or injury Both corporal punishment and violence are intentional If a parent causes injury while spanking it is violent and physically abusive Audio Now here is a question that was posed by Doctor Murray Straus who has done extensive research in this area and that is is spanking violence Let s look at the definition of violence Violence is the intention to cause pain or injury Both corporal punishment and violence are intentional and if a parent causes injury while spanking then it is violent and physically abusive Slide 9 Slide title Hitting Children v s Wives Slide content Hitting children is socially acceptable and legal Hitting a wife is a crime now Children often believe they deserve to be hit So do wives Hitting children usually does not result in injury Only about 3 of assaults on women result in injury requiring medical attention Audio Another issue that Dr Murray Straus brings up in the interview that you will be seeing shortly is hitting children versus hitting wives At the present day hitting children in the United States is socially acceptable and legal Hitting a wife is a crime now but it didn t used to be Children often believe that they deserve to be hit so do wives Hitting children usually does not result in injury but only 3 percent of assaults on women result in injury requiring medical attention Slide 10 Slide title Hitting Children v s Wives Slide content Research shows that hitting children results in