Every year in the United States at least 220,000 children in public schools are subjected to corporal punishment, or "paddling." Permitted in 21 states, the practice leaves many children injured and disengaged from the process of learning. African-American students and students with mental or physical disabilities receive corporal punishment at disproportionately high rates, creating a hostile school environment in which these students may struggle to succeed.
Although some educators believe that corporal punishment is an effective way to deter students from misbehavior-including harmful behavior like fighting- beatings hurt students, erode the trust between educators and students, and degrade the larger educational environment. Corporal punishment teaches students that violence is legitimate and rarely leads to any long-term decrease in classroom misbehavior. And corporal punishment is incompatible with human rights standards prohibiting cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment and protecting children from physical violence and mental abuse.
This brochure summarizes A Violent Education, a report by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union.
