Non-violent grass roots reform and Democracy: Evidence Is In; Corporal Punishment Should Be Banned!

We're using children in an undeclared research project to find out how much it teaches violence; the results of this research project have been in for years, but the mainstream media isn't reporting it to the public to let them know how much damage it's doing.

As a result of this we're ensuring that corporal punishment continues in some parts of the country even though overwhelming evidence shows it's a major contributing factor to escalating violence later in life, including higher murder rates, on average, in the states still allowing it in schools, and presumably using it more at home as well.

In a previous article, Research On Preventing Violence Absent From National Media, I calculated the average murder rates for the states still allowing corporal punishment in schools and found that for the past twelve years, with complete data, from 2007 to 2018, the states still allowing corporal punishment in schools, and presumably using it more at home as well, had between 22% and 32.1% higher murder rates than the states that don't allow it in in schools; and this difference has been growing for the most part going back as far as I could find dates in 1991. The year with the biggest difference was 2018, with 2017 being the third biggest difference, 2016, the fourth, and 2014 the second. The states allowing corporal punishment in schools have never had lower murder rates, on average, than those banning it, but the closest they came in the years that I checked was in 1992, when the difference was only 2.26%.

The longer after states ban corporal punishment in schools, and presumably cut back on it significantly at home as well, the bigger the difference is. Between 1983 and 1994 twenty-two states banned corporal punishment, including California, which had the fifth highest murder rates in 1991, but dropped down to twenty-seventh by 2017. Murder rates have been dropping across the country for the past twenty years; however, they're dropping significantly faster in states that banned corporal punishment in schools. Those still allowing it have mostly cut back on it, which is, no doubt, part of the reason why their murder rates are going down as well, but they're not dropping nearly as much.

A comparison of the murder rates in Europe and their corporal punishment policies also confirms this conclusion; they all ban corporal punishment in schools, and a growing number of these countries also ban it in the home. Europe, overall, has a murder rate of 3 per 100,000 compared to about 5 in the United States; however, the only reason their rate is so high is because of a few Eastern European countries, especially Russia and Ukraine, that are much worse, higher even than the United States. If not for this their rate would be below 2 and in many countries, often the same countries banning corporal punishment in the home as well as in schools, it's below 1.

When they banned corporal punishment in homes as well as in schools, most, if not all of these countries didn't rely on punitive policies to enforce it; instead, they implemented it by educating parents about more effective ways to raise their children and the research that shows why they're more effective. They also do better to address other contributing factors of violence including better child care policies, fewer if any abandoned inner cities, which in the United States often have outrageously high murder rates, income inequality, improved education of all kinds, and other policies that have a smaller indirect impact like better health care.

There's plenty of additional research available showing how much social problems it causes, most of which has been peer reviewed better than my own statistics, although the numbers I reviewed are straight forward and easy to confirm. And the vast majority of researchers agree, with those still opposing it, often having serious problems with their credibility. Yet the mainstream media provides little or no coverage of this research.

When they do cover it at all, it's almost always in very low profile articles that are only read by a small number of people in local regions, and they rarely cover the best research. This includes the following article, which is far better than the vast majority of reporting in the mainstream media:

Countries that ban corporal punishment have lower rates of teen fighting, study finds 10/22/2018

Societies that do not permit parents or teachers to spank or slap children as punishment for unwanted behavior have less youth violence, according to a study published recently in the journal BMJ Open.

For the study, researchers at McGill University in Canada analyzed global data collected on more than 400,000 adolescents (aged 13 to 17) in 88 countries. The data included findings from a survey that asked young people of varying ages how often they had gotten into fights during the previous 12 months.

According to the survey, frequent fighting was three times more common in teenage boys (9.9 percent) then in teenage girls (2.8 percent). It also varied widely among countries, from less than 1 percent in Costa Rican teenage girls to almost 35 percent in Somoan teenage boys.

The researchers then compared that data with information regarding the prohibition of corporal punishment in the countries where those children lived. Thirty of the 88 countries banned corporal punishment at school and at home, while 38 had bans only for schools and 20 had no bans at all. Complete article

This article goes on to say "Proof of correlation, not causation," as many good researchers often do, making sure the evidence is hard before they come to final conclusions; however, there's an enormous amount of additional research that I'm sure would, in this case, show proof of causation as well. I've cited a lot of this research in past articles, and I'll post additional sources below, although some of it is extensive. Ensuring there's adequate peer review before coming to final conclusions is appropriate; however, sometimes they take this too far, and in this case, I think those familiar with the research should be able to come to the conclusion that corporal punishment teaches violence, and many of them do. A lot of this research shows that there's often a slippery slope from what advocates of corporal punishment consider controlled discipline and child abuse.

However, even if you don't agree that causation is conclusive, as I and many others do, there's still an overwhelming amount of evidence showing that ending corporal punishment, cutting down on bullying and as much child abuse as possible leads to much less violence and many other social problems, even though most people can't keep up with the best research. The sad truth is that there's virtually no good educational coverage on this subject in mainstream media, although there are some efforts, often pushed at the Grassroots level. It's been about nine years since the thirty-first state banned corporal punishment in schools.

Fortunately there are several additional states seriously considering it, and there's a strong movement at least two of those states, Kentucky and Colorado. The legislatures have responded with some attempts to pass legislation, and the media has given them credit for taking the lead; however, this is misleading since they were under a lot of grassroots pressure, especially in Kentucky which just passed a bill a couple months ago in the state house and it's up to the Senate to vote on it. Both the state House and Senate are controlled by Republicans, which are usually less likely to oppose corporal punishment; however the house passed it by a large margin anyway. If it passes the Senate and goes to the Democratic Governor it's almost certain that he'll sign it.

Yes, Corporal Punishment Is Still Legal In Ky. Schools. But Maybe Not For Long 02/07/2020

Corporal punishment would be outlawed in the state’s public and private schools under a measure passed in the Kentucky House Friday morning.

Kentucky is one of 19 states where it’s still legal for school staff to inflict pain on students as a form of discipline – usually with a wooden paddle to the behind.

“A child learns what he lives,” Rep. Maria Sorolis (D-Louisville) said on the floor, speaking in support of the ban. “If a child learns with violence, he will learn to fight. We are sophisticated enough now that we can teach and discipline to disciple, rather than to merely punish.”

State records show each year hundreds of Kentucky students are struck by school staff – mostly in southeastern Kentucky.

“My experience as a longtime educator and others is that this is not an effective form of discipline,” Rep. Steve Riley (R-Glasgow) said, who is sponsoring the legislation. He pointed to research showing corporal punishment has negative outcomes on student well-being and academic achievement. National research also shows students of color and students with disabilities are more likely to be subjected to corporal punishment than their peers. Complete article

Kentucky House passes bill to ban spanking, paddling in schools 02/07/2020 FRANKFORT, Ky. — A bill that would ban spanking, paddling and other forms of corporal punishment in public schools passed 65-17 Friday in the Kentucky House of Representatives. .......

The American Academy of Pediatrics agrees and has agreed since at least 2000, when members argued that corporal punishment in public schools should be illegal in the United States. According to one study, using violence as discipline damages children’s self-esteem, their relationships with authority figures and their functioning later in life.

“It not only impacts their ability to learn but frankly can impact their personality,” Hammons said. “It doesn’t work. Help the child understand what their strengths are and help a child understand the importance of self-regulation and using their words and not acting out.”

Kentucky legislators were under a lot of pressure from the grassroots in the past few years, including a lot of young people protesting against it, which is virtually guaranteed to be the reason why this bill got this far; however, they may have to keep up the pressure to ensure it gets through the Senate. Colorado also recently tried to pass a bill which failed almost entirely on Party lines in 2017; however, the Democrats now have control of both houses, and the governors office.

Corporal punishment bill goes down in Colorado Senate committee 03/13/2017

A Republican-controlled state Senate committee Monday killed a bill that would have prohibited corporal punishment in Colorado’s public schools and day care centers that receive state funding.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, on a party-line vote, defeated House Bill 1038, sponsored by state Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, an Arvada Democrat.

Republican members didn’t explain their vote. However, during witness testimony, state Sen. Bob Gardner, a Colorado Springs Republican, suggested school districts were already in front of the issue.

“I’m disappointed, to say the least,” Zenzinger said in a statement. “This practice has no place in a modern nation that prides itself on decades of advancement in the areas of human rights and racial equality. It’s a black mark on our reputation and really defies logic.” Complete article

The Democratic Party expressed a lot of disappointment when this was defeated; however, they've been in power for fifteen months and I haven't been able to find any news on them passing this bill again, which would be virtually guaranteed to succeed, so now “I’m disappointed, to say the least,” in the Democrats for not doing anything yet. They have been busy with other bills; but, it looks as if it might be necessary to pressure them from the grassroots as well.

If the grassroots can pressure the Republicans in Kentucky to respond to this issue, they can pressure the Democrats in Colorado; the fact that they haven't acted yet raises doubts about their leadership.

Since I first posted this I found a bill at the national level that would ban corporal punishment in schools, H.R.727 - Ending Corporal Punishment in Schools Act of 2019 Rep. Hastings, Alcee L. [D-FL-20], unfortunately it's been well over a year and little or no action has been taken on it. The following article is about another bill to ban it that has also been introduced in North Carolina, although little action has been taken on this either:

Corporal punishment in schools would be banned in NC with bill 03/19/2019

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Spanking and other forms of corporal punishment would be permanently barred in North Carolina’s public schools in legislation receiving bipartisan support on Tuesday now that the final two districts still allowing them have ended the practice.

A House education committee voted to approve a statewide prohibition starting this fall, which also would apply to public charter schools.

For nearly 30 years, the General Assembly has given local school boards — currently at 115 — the option to decide whether to allow principals or teachers to use physical punishment upon students. The number of districts allowing the practice has fallen over time as society and researchers have discouraged it. Still, it was used nearly 900 times in 17 districts as recently as the 2010-11 school year, according to the state Department of Public Instruction. There were just 60 incidents during the 2017-18 school year, and the Graham and Robeson county school boards were the last to bar corporal punishment last year.

“I think the overwhelmingly opinion is ... that educating should be left up to the schools, and discipline should be left up to the parents,” said Rep. Susan Fisher, a Buncombe County Democrat and chief bill sponsor with GOP Rep. Linda Johnson of Cabarrus County. The bill passed with no voices or votes in opposition.

Under current law, school boards could reverse their decisions and reinstitute corporal punishment. The law says districts had to set policies that made clear a spanking or other physical penalty couldn’t be performed in front of other children. Parents had to be notified of why it happened and the names of the person giving the punishment and a witness.

The legislation, which now goes to another House committee before reaching the House floor, wouldn’t allow districts to revert to the policy. The bill also would have to pass the Senate.

Tom Vitaglione, a senior fellow at the NC Child advocacy organization, has participated in repeated news conferences over the years pushing for a statewide ban on corporal punishment. In the early 1990s, he said, the legislature decided instead to make clear each district could make the decision on whether to allow or ban the practice.

Now, Vitaglione said, “we’re hoping that the General Assembly will affirm the decisions that have been made by 115 school districts.”

Vitaglione said there’s more research showing there’s no link between corporal punishment and academic improvement. Instead, he said, it can harm the relationship between students and teachers, reduce academic performance and encourage more aggressive behavior.

Physical punishment, he said, leaves the impression that “getting hit — that’s the way to resolve things.” Complete article

As the article indicates they've been cutting back on the use of corporal punishment over the years, and within the past few years voted at the local level to ban it in all public schools, but it's still unclear if it's allowed in Charter schools or other religious or private schools. Up until the year 2008, North Carolina was almost always either in the top ten for murder rates, or very close; it's unclear, if this can be connected to their reduction in the use of corporal punishment in schools, at this point but it's a reasonable possibility. Since then their murder rates have gone down signifficantly, except for the years 2016 and 2018, when they came close to climbing back into the top ten, but didn't quite make it.

Even Mississippi has introduced a bill to ban corporal punishment in schools, where there's almost certainly much less support for it. However that's almost certainly because they're badly misinformed about it, and the media is doing little or nothing to correct superstitions or religious reasons for supporting corporal punishment. Mississippi is one of the states that uses it the most so I'm not optimistic they'll pass a statewide ban; but, even in Mississippi there's some evidence indicating they're cutting back on it.

Unfortunately there's a limited amount of information that I could find discussing the ban in Mississippi and the little coverage on the internet I did find doesn't include the best research on the subject including this article which argues that even if it's a good idea, it shouldn't be a high priority,

SALTER: Is corporal punishment really the greatest problem facing Noxubee County schools? 02/12/2020 Rep. Mickens introduced House Bill 12 during the 2020 regular legislative session, a bill intended to ban corporal punishment or “paddling” in Mississippi public and charter schools and “provide that any (school) employee who violates the corporal punishment prohibition shall be held liable for civil damages suffered by a student as a result of the administration of corporal punishment.”

This article Ingraham v. Wright but he doesn't go into the vast majority of the background on it which is covered much better by Philip J. Greven in "Spare the Child" which explains how badly this child was abused, and if you go to the court decisions (links provided in the excepts from this book) they provide additional information about the serious abuse this child and many others are subject to as well as strong dissents by several justices, including Thurgood Marshall, explaining how abusive it was, yet this if virtually forgotten history to the vast majority of the public who haven't heard of this decision any more than they've heard of the best research on the subject.

Fortunately there's additional evidence showing that even Mississippi is cutting down on use of corporal punishment including banning it recently in Lafayette County School District and Greenville School District; however, it's still allowed in 80% to 85% of their school districts.

The vast majority of changes in policy to use of corporal punishment is towards deceasing it; however, there are still efforts to reinstate it including a Texas School District Brings Back Paddling or corporal punishment 02/25/2020 This article says "It is usually the parents who use paddling themselves at home who agree to the practice at school. They believe that it creates consistency that will encourage children to behave;" which adds to the evidence that the states allowing it in schools are more likely to use it at home.

Even more outrageous is trying to profit out of by selling ridiculously priced paddles and turning it into a bad joke as this article shows Sales of 'Make Kids Great Again' spanking paddles draw criticism, praise 02/19/2020 Like the vast majority of mainstream media this article makes no attempt to cover the best research on this subject. They do cite M.J. Mouton and another critic, who do make good points, but the vast majority of good research is absent from this article and the majority of those they do cite seem to support it with incredibly bad arguments, acting as if it's a joke. Some of these people are profiting by selling these outrageous paddles so they have an obvious conflict of interests, yet the article doesn't try to make that clear.

M.J. Mouton "So here is a paddle for whipping kids. It says 'Make Kids Great Again.' With Conservatives, even child abuse is marketable."

Passing legislation to ban corporal punishment in schools is an important part of the solution, but perhaps not as important as good education on the subject, which is absent from the traditional media. There's no shortage of good research in the academic world or in libraries; however few people know what to look for and the media doesn't promote any of the best research. Project Project No Spank provides hundreds of articles or academic research papers on the subject as well as at least two good complete books with excepts from dozens more; Barbara Coloroso wrote several good books including "Kids Are Worth It"

We have the research available to show how to greatly reduce violence, but there's little or no effort by powerful institutions to get this educational material to the majority of the public. The same argument could be made for many other contributing causes of violence, including abandoned inner cities.

Our political and economic system has shipped jobs overseas and suppressed educational opportunities in many of the most violent cities in the country, some having at least double our national average murder rates, and a few of the worst abandoned inner cities have six to ten times our national murder rates. The media routinely demonizes many of these killers, but by refusing to provide educational coverage of the leading causes of this violence the media is far worse than these murderers, since they ensure that a system constantly creating unnecessary violence stays in place. If the media was willing and able to do their job educating the public about leading causes of violence we wouldn't have nearly as much of it.

Europe has already shown they can do a far better job reducing violence than we do, if we learn from their example we can get out rates of violence down as low as theirs if not lower.

Project No Spank

"Kids Are Worth It"

Murray A. Straus "The Primordial Violence" excerpts

Murray A. Straus Web page with dozens of papers on Corporal punishment retrieved from Wayback Machine.

Murray A. Straus three complete books retrieved from Wayback Machine.

Books by Professor James Garbarino

James Garbarino: "Listening to Killers" 03/02/2015 one hour video

Dr. James Garbarino on socially toxic environments on children 01/17/2014 five minute video

James Garbarino: "Why Giving Teenage Killers a Second Chance Matters for All of Us" 03/28/2018 One and a quarter hour video

Global Initiative To End All Corporal Punishment Of Children 04/0/2020

School spankings are banned just about everywhere around the world except in US 07/31/2019 States prohibiting all corporal punishment of children, including in the home:

Non-violent grass roots reform and Democracy

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Thursday, April 9, 2020

Evidence Is In; Corporal Punishment Should Be Banned!

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