Courts often consider how much force and how many strikes parents employ when they administer physical discipline, as well as whether they use an object such as a belt or paddle.103 The cases suggest that courts view with more suspicion a parent who uses extreme force to strike a child repeatedly with a paddle or belt than one who swats a child a couple of times with an open hand; correspondingly, such discipline is more likely to be found to exceed the bounds of reasonableness.104 To some extent, these factors simply correspond to the degree or severity of harm inflicted on the child. Strong Parents, Safe Kids: Discipline and Parenting Styles
When Inflicted Skin Injuries Constitute Child Abuse. Webabuse and neglect as "any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caregiver that results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation, or an act or failure to act that presents an imminent risk of serious harm." Consistent with prevailing statutory language, when evaluating whether an act of corporal punishment was reasonable or abusive, CPS most typically considers the nature and degree of the immediate physical harm to the child.49 The extent to which that injury may have longterm or even permanent physical consequences will generally affect the CPS determination, particularly in those jurisdictions that require a serious or severe injury either statutorily or by custom. For example, the Connecticut Court of Appeals recognized that a criminal statute granting parents a privilege to use reasonable physical force to correct their child demonstrate[d] the public recognition of the parental right to punish children for their own welfare and thus expressed the states policy of allowing reasonable corporal punishment. Lovan C. v. Dept of Children and Families, 860 A.2d 1283, 1288 (Conn. App. Physical Abuse An Analogue Although formally she considers the same factors whether investigating in a rural or urban community, she does consider how specific factors and evidence will be viewed by a particular court or judge.82 Removing a child may not be helpful if a judge will ultimately return the child to the parent. Chadwick DL, et al. For example, corporal punishment that causes a child to fail academically, to have disciplinary problems in school, to be fearful of personal relationships, or to become a violent adult, achieves precisely the opposite of the result intended by the corporal punishment exceptionthat is, a law-abiding and otherwise successful adult. Many parents and caregivers report using non-violent disciplines measures (such as explaining why the childs behaviour was wrong, taking away privileges) but these are usually used in combination with violent methods.