A search of the literature to differentiate among definitions of physical discipline, corporal punishment, and physical child abuse identified five studies which revealed that abusive parents spanked their children more often than did nonabusive parents. Aggregated data from nonabusive parents suggested a "normal range" of daily spanking…

Guided by a social constructivist perspective, this article analyzes sociological and psychological research and theoretical materials to explore the sexual implications of the corporal punishment of children. The article highlights inadequacy of current arguments against corporal punishment and shows the potential sexualization of the practice,…

This paper responds to a court brief of amici curiae asserting that mental retardation reduces culpability in capital offenses. The paper argues that the position makes unwarranted categorical assumptions about mental retardation, fails to consider individualized and situation-specific determinants of culpability, and undermines respect and value…

Training, not education, is a common outcome of Japanese education--even at the university level. Individual initiative and independent thought are savagely repressed, and students are harshly punished or bullied for nonconformist behavior. Children of executives transferred to foreign countries face great discrimination when reentering Japanese…

Author discusses class punishment such as the repeated writing of I promise to behave'' sentences. (CB)

Discusses the pretrial diversion movement as a client-centered "helping" approach designed to replace the antiquated punitive orientation. Suggests that the diversion movement has failed to achieve most of the reforms or goals originally formulated. Proposes that its survival is dependent upon sufficiently serving the political interests…

Challenges literature on Jonestown mass suicide which claims that residents came to common consciousness. Analyzes data of what took place in Jonestown in months leading up to and on day of November 18, 1978. Using Durkheim's typology of suicides, argues that residents of Jonestown died for different reasons and that altruistic and fatalistic…

This self-report study investigated 274 pre-service teachers' attitudes toward students with learning and behavioural difficulties (LBD) and the factors that predict their attitudes. Using four scenarios describing students with LBD, we investigated the degree to which pre-service teachers' open-minded thinking dispositions, readiness to learn…

We examine the roles of neighborhood characteristics in the development of the aggressive behavior of 1,409 urban boys and girls between the first and seventh grades. The multilevel, longitudinal growth analyses find strong neighborhood effects in all models, while controlling for individual-level variables. Results indicated that the effects of…

Recent work suggests that offenders rate several alternatives as more severe than imprisonment. We build on this literature by comparing punishment exchange rates generated by criminal court judges with rates generated by offenders and their supervising officers. Findings reveal that none of the three groups rates prison as the most severe…

Although many studies suggest that family violence is associated with child psychopathology, multiple features of the home environment might account for this association, such as poverty and caregiver psychopathology. Studies are needed examining how change in psychopathology symptoms is affected by home violence, controlling for children's own…

Despite ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, children remain the only people in Australia against whom violence may be justified as discipline. This article presents findings from qualitative research conducted in the State of Victoria, in which children were invited to contextualise incidents of physical…

Classroom management (CRM) has been associated with discipline, control, or other terms that connote reducing unacceptable student behavior. However, CRM involves not merely responding effectively when problems occur, but also preventing problems from occurring by creating environments that encourage learning and appropriate behavior. Teachers'…

This study investigated the independent impact of child sexual abuse on five dimensions of adulthood parenting after controlling for other forms of childhood adversity in a predominantly African-American sample of mothers receiving public assistance (N = 483). An analysis of data previously collected as part of the Illinois Families Study Child…

Objectives: To determine: (1) the prevalence of harsh punishment among parents in a pediatric clinic, and (2) the sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and stability of a brief screening measure. Methods: A subset of families involved in a study of child maltreatment prevention were recruited for this study. Two items in a parent screening…