16/05/2008

The Cops or the Cane?

The Children's Commissioner for Wales isn't very happy about the fact that Westminster has stopped the National Assembly from outlawing the physical chastisement of children in Wales. Quite right too. Members elected by the people of Wales should be allowed to decide upon this issue. I can't understand the logic that says that politicians in Westminster are more competent to decide how hard Welsh children are thrashed than politicians in the Bay.

If the competence is passed down to the Assembly, members of all parties have agreed that physical chastisement should be abolished in Wales.

I understand the arguments against the physical punishment of children, but Helen Mary made a point on Question Time last night that makes me wonder if the arguments are as child friendly as they might appear.

In response to a question about the increase in the number of girls gaining criminal records, Helen suggested that girls' behaviour wasn't worse now than it had ever been, it is just that issues that might previously have been dealt with within schools are now being reported to the police.

Isn't this a direct result of teachers and parents being denied the ability to chastise children?

If I had hit a fellow pupil when I was in school, I would have been caned by the headmaster. If my son hits a classmate he will be charged with assault, taken to court and have a criminal record for the rest of his life. Whatever the rights or wrongs of corporal punishment, given the choice, I would prefer the cane!

I know from bitter experience that when Mr Evans (my headmaster) caned a boy he couldn't sit in comfort for a week and a half, but surely that is less cruel than being condemned as a criminal for the whole of ones life.

3 comments:

  1. Caning children in school, amongst other things, does actually teach the child that under certain circumstances, inflicting pain is openly acceptable.
    After informed and educated discussion, it has been outlawed by nearly every civilised society, and its` demise, I`m sure, is no loss.
    If we accept corporal punishment for teenagers in schools, why not flog teenagers in prisons?
    Or why not cane adults for minor crimes, public floggings for the miscreants and misfits!!!
    As for the issue of female "criminality", most of this seems to stem from the irresponsible sale and use of alcohol.
    Prosecute a few publicans and supermarkets for the "results" of their wares, and we might see some changes.

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  2. Of course physical pain works .... that's why all the gangsters use physical pain and the threat of physical pain to keep folk in line ..... when the state foregoes the right to inflict physical pain then it's half-way to handing over power to the gangsters.

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  3. I think you've hit the nail on the head. I'm against corporal punishment in schools but I think if you gave anyone the choice of a sore hand for a few days or a criminal record, they'd surely take the former!
    Female criminality has nothing to do with alcohol by the way. The attitude of girls who go round getting hammered has already been passed down to them by parents who don't care. Alcohol is an accelerant, nothing more.

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