A ruling that emerged last year from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court may not be sitting very well with the state’s youngest residents. Literally.
The SJC there handed down a ruling that affirmed parents may not be found criminally liable for using “reasonable” force in disciplining their children. The court’s verbiage for the case, which centered around a father who had been convicted of assault for publicly spanking his young toddler daughter, was carefully worded, asserting that that the force used must be “reasonably related to the purpose of safeguarding or promoting the welfare of the minor,” and does not cause physical harm or severe mental distress. At the same time, however, the ruling also invoked a broader context, finding that spanking as a form of corporal punishment “remains firmly woven into our nation’s social fabric.”
Most of us, it seems, would agree.
A large majority of Americans believe it is “sometimes appropriate” for parents to spank their children, according to a 2013 Harris Poll, and the percentage of those who think a child sometimes needs a “good, hard spanking” is also high. Although the trend of using corporal punishment for discipline has waned over the years, especially as more research shows the adverse effects of spanking on children, it continues on.
Americans are willing to tolerate a minimal level of corporal punishment if it’s intended to discipline, not cause pain. But do parents across the country have a legal right to use force against a child?
Can you legally spank your child?
The short answer is yes. In all 50 states and the District of Columbia, you are not forbidden by law to use corporal punishment on your child as long as the form of punishment is reasonable and does not cause injury.
Each state has its own definition of what is acceptable, and some states’ laws are more vague than others. For instance, Utah state law says that inflicting “serious physical injury” on a child is against the law, but the “reasonable discipline of minors” is an acceptable defense. Laws in Washington State, on the other hand, are more specific; they permit “reasonable and moderate” force against a child yet specifically outlaw throwing, kicking, burning, or cutting a child, shaking a child under 3, interfering with breathing, threatening with a deadly weapon, and more.
The word that appears over and over again in states’ statutes is “reasonable,” a standard that requires interpretation. That lack of clarity affords state attorneys some discretion in deciding which cases to prosecute.
The Gunderson National Child Protection Training Center has collected state statutes relevant to spanking so you can see exactly where your state stands on the issue.
Can you legally spank another person’s child?
This is where the law becomes murkier. Every state allows parents to discipline their children in a “reasonable” manner, but that right doesn’t necessarily extend to other adults, even if they are in loco parentis. So, if your child’s friend is playing in your house and you are acting as a temporary guardian, you may be fine, legally speaking, to spank that child. But you won’t have that same protection if, for example, you spank a neighbor child who keeps bouncing a ball on your window.
However, it’s better to refrain altogether from disciplining any child who is not your own. Even if you are unlikely to face a criminal charge, you could possibly face a civil suit from the child’s parents or guardians.
Can your child’s teacher legally spank him or her?
In 19 states, yes. The other 31 states have outlawed corporal punishment in the classroom for uses other than maintaining a safe environment. The amount of force an educator may use against a child in the remaining 19 states varies considerably, from allowing “reasonable and necessary” force to causing “no physical injury” to using “non-deadly force.”
It’s not uncommon for teachers to be arrested for child abuse. In March, a Los Angeles teacher was charged with child abuse for putting a plastic bag over a child’s head. And just this month, a Florida teacher was charged with aggravated abuse for digging his fingernails into a child’s hand and calf.
The line between “reasonable force” and “abuse”—and the consequences
Being convicted of child abuse could lead to jail time, loss of custody of the child, a heavy fine, and more. Because the consequences can be severe, it’s best not to test the limits of your state’s laws by using corporal punishment on any child, even your own. The line between “reasonable force” and “abuse” isn’t quantitative; it can only be evaluated in the eyes of the state prosecutor. As the recent controversy over Adrian Peterson shows, even if a parent believes his or her method of discipline is acceptable, the state may not agree (your spouse might not either; disagreements around parenting are a major cause of divorce).
7 comments
Susan
I was spanked plenty as a child (on my bare butt with a belt) and I believe strongly in it.
Francis P Rabideau
One question about spanking is, Is it legal to spank a child with a belt?
Matthew Cooke
Hi Francis, It sounds like you have a legal question that would be best answered by a lawyer in our free Q&A forum. Lawyers do not provide advice through our blog, but they do in the forum -- usually within 12 hours. All questions are open to answers for seven days. You can post your questions here when you're ready: http://www.avvo.com/ask-a-lawyer. You can also browse previously asked questions and lawyer answers, or read legal guides that may answer your questions, here: http://www.avvo.com/free-legal-advice. I hope this is helpful!
UnKnown
what about spanking with an item? A Yard stick, a Switch, a Belt. a wooden board?
Liberal
@willyg Hear, hear.
laurariley
The problem with spanking and corporal punishment is that what one parent thinks is reasonable maybe totally unreasonable to another parent. Almost all of us would agree that what Adrian Peterson did was unreasonable. I cannot imagine cutting a two year old's buttocks up with a switch. I'm sure he didn't intend that, but he did it. However, as you say it would be child abuse to almost anyone.
I support spanking, within limits. However, my idea of a spanking is not using anything other than your hand and not inflicting anything more than a few temporary red marks on a butt. My idea of a spanking is turning a ten year old, or younger child, over your knee and giving them about three to ten slaps with the palm of your hand. I never spanked my children on the bare butt, but I admit there were times I made them drop their pants and spanked the seat of their underwear when I felt a message had to be sent.
I hope that is never made illegal because it is an effective discipline tool for young children. However, because of a few people who overdo it, like Peterson, I fear all spanking may someday be illegal.
willyg
The author failed to mention that Adrian Peterson left lacerations on his child's buttocks from what he described as a spanking. Lacerations are cuts caused by a non sharp object due to forceful tearing of the skin. On a two year old. A professional football player, with the strength of a pro athlete, struck his 2 year old with a tree branch hard enough to tear his skin in multiple places and leave significant bruising. It wasn't just spanking as the author implied. To ANY REASONABLE PERSON, this would be considered child abuse