ren. Children generally concentrate on the spanking and not the reason for that spanking (Haynes, 65). Many health professionals agree that spanking does not work and usually worsens the childs behavior (Perkins). Corporal punishment is also emotionally damaging to children. According to an article in USA Today, spanking humiliates children (Pride, 8). This humiliation could lead to problems like low self-esteem and hatred for authority, which can be detrimental to a childs success in growing to adulthood. Also, spanking often generates feelings of revenge toward the spanker (Haynes, 65). In older children, these vengeful feelings can become a dangerous situation. And many of those punished eventually become the punisher. Regulating corporate punishment is impossible. Kreck points out that there is no way to tell someone how hard to spank a child. The idea of corporal punishment is to cause pain, but pain is caused by damaging bodily tissue. There is no way for an educator to know when that pain is going to start to break blood vessels. Because of the weak guidelines regulating corporal punishment, lawsuits aimed at educators are becoming more common. Carol Kreck further reports that, courts are beginning to look favorably on lawsuits [related to corporal punishment], civil and criminal. Also, insurance companies are beginning to look at schools disciplinary procedures when determining premiums (Kreck). Rising insurance premiums combined with the costs associated with trying these cases in court are becoming an unnecessary strain for the American taxpayer. Corporal punishments usefulness in the American school system has become obsolete. Christine Mercure reports that by using alternative disciplinary actions such as recognition, rewards, parent reinforcement, ISS, and service work, schools are achieving better results without the problems associated with corporal punishment. Still, with all the research and professional testimony conde...
