QUOTE=fetishdj;876898]The problem with corporal punishment is that it teaches the wrong lessons and does not build good social reasoning skills. It is better to have a system of carefully worked out consequences for actions and make sure that these are clearly stated and understood.[/QUOTE]

Having been the victim of corporal punishment on more than one occasion I have to differ with you fetishdj. It was in the school as a deterrent against violence, but the only down side it had at my school was the fact that both offenders were punished. I mean both the attacker and the person defending himself, and that does teach the wrong lessons. I defended myself three times and got punished three times along with my attacker. It was on the fourth time that things went from bad to worse, and I refused the punishment and would not bend over the desk. The head master grabbed my ear and twisted and i mean it was so hard he nearly ripped my ear off, I pulled away and kicked him in the balls and walked 8 miles home. I had to have hospital treatment on my ear and it damn near sent me deaf. I was expelled from all schools for one year, now there is some sense for you.

There was nothing wrong with the corporal punishment, but the proof of guilt was the thing that was wrong. I remember that it did act as a good deterrent but without some sort of legislation it was more dangerous to the attacker and victim than the actual fight. I will say this though in the school the teachers were respected, there was never unruliness in the class room. If a teacher said quiet get on with your work that has been set out, you could hear a pin drop. No student that I can remember lifted his/her hand to a teacher, unlike today where the teachers in some schools in the UK fear reprisals from students.

Think about it you sent adults to prison for theft, mugging, assault, rape, murder, one punishment to fit a multitude of crimes. Some reoffend but a great number with the right help on the outside don’t. So if you can teach a violent child with regulated violence to show that it does not pay, and in the mean time only a small minority reoffends it cannot be bad.

Regards ian 2411