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Submitted By geoffreyvasquez
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Geoffrey Vasquez
April 17, 2012
English 1101
Corporal Punishment In America

Although many are not in favor with corporal punishment, it has not fallen out of practice in many of the United States. There are some positive aspects in corporal punishment, but since this has never been apart of my childhood this is the reason why I am against the practice. There are many pros and cons that come with corporal punishment, but it is now only legal in 20 states. Americans deem this type of punishment technique as either intrinsically evil or very essential. Times have changed drastically, and the generation today does not agree with such physical punishment at school especially when it has led to child abuse in the past. Punishments should always have a reason behind them, but the society has the power to measure to what extent that punishment can and should be reached.
What really is corporal punishment? “Corporal punishment is the use of physical force with intention of causing a child to experience pain, but not injury, for the purpose of correction or control of the child’s behavior.”(Murray A. Straus 4) The practice of Corporal Punishment has been recorded as early as 10th century B.C, where the “Book of Proverbs 13:29” says, “ He who spareth the rod hateth his son, but he that loveth him correcteth him betimes. Withhold not correction from a child: for if thou strike him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and deliver his soul from hell.” One of the ironies of corporal punishment is that, it is an almost invisible part of American life. It is invisible because almost everyone has been spanked; it is taken for granted, and few people give it much thought. Every year in the United States thousands of students are subjected to corporal punishment in public schools.
I have very mixed feelings towards corporal punishment, for the

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