Corporal Punishment—Still Legal for Discipline? (2)
This article examines the legal status of corporal punishment in child discipline, specifically addressing the practical realities Christian parents face when allegations of child abuse arise in the juvenile court system. Drawing on the author's seventeen years of experience in Iowa's juvenile courts, the piece provides practical guidance on understanding the legal landscape and the vulnerabilities parents encounter when disciplinary decisions are questioned by authorities.
Previous article in this series: December 15, 2014, p. 138. In the last article under this rubric, we looked at the status of the law as it pertains to corporal punishment, or spanking, of children. The general rule is that parents are allowed to use corporal punishment as long as it is not excessive. "Excessive" is defined differently by the various courts and states, but as we saw in the last article, godly correction of children would generally not (and ought not) be excessive. The fact...
Full article available on sb.rfpa.org