Is there evidence to support the use of corporal punishment being effective?

To access extended pro and con arguments, sources, and discussion questions about whether corporal punishment should be allowed in K-12 schools, go to ProCon.org.

Nineteen states in the US legally permit corporal punishment in public schools, while 31 states ban the practice. Corporal punishment is defined as a “physical punishment” and a “punishment that involves hitting someone.” In K-12 schools, corporal punishment is often spanking, with either a hand or paddle, or striking a student across his/her hand with a ruler or leather strap. More extreme instances, including the use of a chemical spray and Taser, have also been recorded by US schools.

In 2014, 94% of parents with children three to four years old reported that they had spanked their child within the past year, and 76% of men and 65% of women agreed with the statement, “a child sometimes needs a good spanking.” The debate over corporal punishment, especially in schools, remains vigorous

Nineteen states permit corporal punishment in public schools via law: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming.

Thirty-one states and DC ban corporal punishment in public schools: Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, DC, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Three states with a ban on corporal punishment allow teachers to use “a reasonable degree of force” on a child who is creating a disturbance: Maine, New Hampshire, and South Dakota.

70% of corporal punishment happens in five states—Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, and Texas—with the latter two making up 35% of all cases.

There is no federal ban or law regulating corporal punishment, but the practice is prohibited in the federal Head Start program. In 1977, the US Supreme Court decision in Ingraham v. Wright found that corporal punishment was not cruel and unusual punishment and is, thus, allowed in schools. No more recent federal court ruling has been made.

Data shows that more than 109,000 students (down from 163,333 in the 2011-2012 school year) were physically punished in more than 4,000 schools in 21 states during the 2013-2014 school year, including some students in states where the practice is banned. Rural, low-income, black, male students were more likely to have experienced corporal punishment. Children with disabilities also experience corporal punishment at higher rates than other students.

Some school districts have very specific rules for the punishment. Central Parish in Louisiana states that three swats with a paddle “approximately 20 inches long, 4 inches wide, and not exceeding ¼ inch in thickness” is the appropriate punishment. However, other districts do not offer guidance. Daryl Scoggin, the superintendent of the Tate County, Mississippi, school district stated: “It’s kind of like, I had it done to me, and so I knew what I needed to do. I guess it’s more that you learn by watching… We don’t practice on dummies or anything like that.”

Internationally, 60 countries ban corporal punishment in all instances, including at home. Those countries include Japan and the Seychelles, both of which passed laws in 2020, and Sweden, which passed a ban in 1979. Most countries ban corporal punishment in some instances. According to the Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, sixteen countries do not ban corporal punishment in any instances: Barbados, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Dominica, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Somalia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Palestine, Tuvalu, and Tanzania.

Pro

  • Corporal punishment is the appropriate discipline for certain children when used in moderation.
  • Corporal punishment sets clear boundaries and motivates children to behave in school.
  • Corporal punishment is often chosen by students over suspension or detention.

Con

  • Corporal punishment can inflict long-lasting physical and mental harm on students.
  • Corporal punishment creates an unsafe and violent school environment.
  • Corporal punishment is an inappropriate punishment that harms the education of children.

This article was published on November 2, 2020, at Britannica’s ProCon.org, a nonpartisan issue-information source.

Physical (or corporal) punishment is the use of physical force with the intention of causing a child to experience pain or discomfort to correct or punish their behaviour. Physical punishment commonly involves smacking, spanking, slapping or hitting (with a hard object such as a belt, stick or a cane). It can also include forcing a child to kneel, sit or stand in uncomfortable positions or on painful objects.

How common is physical punishment?

It is estimated that worldwide around six in 10 children aged 2–14 years experience physical punishment by a caregiver. In Australia, we have an incomplete picture of the use and effects of physical punishment., Surveys indicate 50–80% of Australian parents use physical punishment in disciplining their children. Surveys of the attitudes of Australian parents note:

  • The majority (80%) experienced physical punishment when they were a child.
  • Around half (51%) had used it on their own children.
  • Around half (51%) believe it is never acceptable to use physical discipline with a child.

Australian parents are often uncertain about what is reasonable and acceptable in physical punishment and where the line is for abuse.

What does the evidence tell us about physical punishment?

Key issues around evidence stop us from gaining a full picture about physical punishment. Stigma around talking about what happens behind closed doors at home and traditional power relationships in families mean children often do not report physical punishment., Online surveys commonly provide the best available evidence but can be limited by participant numbers and vested interests. Because the topic is complex, it can be difficult to conclude with certainty that physical punishment caused negative outcomes for children. It would also be unethical to conduct an experimental study whereby some children are deliberately punished and others are not.

Despite these issues, evidence from various research approaches and methods consistently links physical punishment with harm to children.,, , Good evidence suggests that physical punishment does not reduce defiant or aggressive behaviour nor does it promote long-term positive behaviour in children.,,, A systematic review of 53 studies on the use of physical punishment in schools found that it had negative effects on the academic performance of children and resulted in behavioural issues (e.g. violent behaviour and aggressive conduct).

Research links physical punishment to risks of harm to children’s cognitive, behavioural, social and emotional development.,,,,, A meta-analysis involving over 160,000 children found that physical punishment can carry the risk of physical abuse (causing a physical injury) and can have similar negative outcomes for children: mental health and emotional challenges, lower cognitive ability, lower self-esteem, more aggression, more antisocial behaviour and negative relationships with parents. Other studies and reviews have added that stress from physical punishment for children can negatively affect their brain development., In addition, physical discipline can quickly and unintentionally escalate to abuse., ,

The adverse impacts from physical punishment from childhood may last into adulthood. Harsh physical punishment (smacking, shoving and pushing) has been linked to anxiety, depression, substance abuse and antisocial behaviours in adulthood in a similar way to child abuse., Other studies have found associations between physical punishment in childhood and intimate partner violence as an adult, and an increased risk of physical abuse.,

Peak bodies of paediatricians in Australia have published position statements against the use of physical punishment. For example, the Paediatric & Child Health Division of The Royal Australasian College of Physicians in their position paper have said that physical punishment is an outdated practice with adverse consequences in the long term for the child’s health, behaviour and emotional wellbeing.

Conclusion

There is strong evidence to suggest that physical punishment harms children. Sector professionals working with families should focus on strategies that steer parents away from physical punishment to alternative behaviour management strategies.

Further reading

  • If you require information on the circumstances in which a state or territory is mandated to intervene to protect a child, see the CFCA Resource Sheet Australian legal definitions: When is a child in need of protection?
  • For a general definition of child abuse and neglect, and definitions of the five commonly regarded subtypes, see the CFCA Resource Sheet What is child abuse and neglect?
  • For more information on physical punishment laws in Australia, see the CFCA Resource Sheet Physical punishment legislation.
  • For more information on behaviour management strategies for children of all ages see raisingchildren.net.au. 

References

1. United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). (2006). General comment no. 8: The right of the child to protection from corporal punishment and other cruel or degrading forms of punishment. Geneva, Switzerland: The United Nations. Retrieved from tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=CRC%2fC%2fGC%2f8&Lang=en

2. Rowland, A., Gerry, F., & Stanton, M. (2017). Physical punishment of children: Time to end the defence of reasonable chastisement in the UK, USA and Australia. The International Journal of Children's Rights, 25 (1), 165–195.

3. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). (2014). Hidden in plain sight: A statistical analysis of violence against children . New York: The United Nations. Retrieved from www.unicef.org/publications/index_74865.html

4. Durrant, J., Stewart-Tufescu, A., Ateah, C., Holden, G., Ahmed, R., Jones, A. et al. (2020). Addressing punitive violence against children in Australia, Japan and the Philippines. Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology, 14, e19, 1–11.

5. Poulsen, A. (2019). Corporal punishment of children in the home in Australia: A review of the research reveals the need for data and knowledge. Children Australia, 44(3), 110–120.

6. Relationships Australia. (2017). Online survey: Corporal punishment. Retrieved from www.relationships.org.au/what-we-do/research/online-survey/ april-2017-corporal-punishment

7. Rhodes, A. (2018). Child behaviour: How are Australian parents responding. Parkville, Victoria: Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne. Retrieved from www.rchpoll.org.au/polls/child-behaviour-how-are-australian-parents-responding

8. Dodd, C. (2011). Ending corporal punishment of children: A handbook for working with and within religious communities . Nottingham, UK: Russell Press. Retrieved from resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/node/4420/pdf/4420.pdf

9. Gershoff, E. T., Goodman, G. S., Miller-Perrin, C. L., Holden, G. W., Jackson, Y., & Kazdin, A. E. (2018). The strength of causal evidence against physical punishment of children and its implications for parents, psychologists, and policymakers. American Psychologist, 73(5), 626–638.

10. Alampay, L. P., Godwin, J., Lansford, J. E., Bombi, A. S., Bornstein, M. H., Chang, L. et al. (2017). Severity and justness do not moderate the relation between corporal punishment and negative child outcomes: A multicultural and longitudinal study. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 41(4), 491–502.

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14. Ma, J., & Grogan-Kaylor, A. (2017). Longitudinal associations of neighborhood collective efficacy and maternal corporal punishment with behavior problems in early childhood. Developmental Psychology, 53(6), 1027–1041.

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22. Zulauf, C. A., Sokolovsky, A. W., Grabell, A. S., & Olson, S. L. (2018). Early risk pathways to physical versus relational peer aggression: The interplay of externalizing behavior and corporal punishment varies by child sex. Aggressive Behavior, 44(2), 209–220.

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Why is corporal punishment effective?

Corporal punishment is the appropriate discipline for certain children when used in moderation. Corporal punishment sets clear boundaries and motivates children to behave in school. Corporal punishment is often chosen by students over suspension or detention.

Is corporal punishment in the home and other settings helpful or not justify your answer?

Corporal punishment by parents has been linked to increased aggression, mental health problems, impaired cognitive development, and drug and alcohol abuse.

Is corporal punishment positive punishment?

Corporal punishment is one of the most well-known forms of positive punishment, often given out in the form of spanking children. While it may be effective in some situations, positive punishment can lead to negative mental health effects.

What is the most effective way to use punishment?

5 conditions for effective punishments.
The punishment has to be relative intense. The subject should feel it as a punishment).
It has to be giving promptly. ... .
It should be given consistent. ... .
The punishment should not be associated with any kind of positive enforcement. ... .
It should not lead to escaping or avoidance behavior..