Spare the rod! Implications for community safety partnerships in removing the reasonable chastisement defence in Wales

Colin Rogers, Garry Thomas

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Parental discipline of children has long included the use of corporal punishment and has drawn conflicting views upon its effectiveness and its long-term effects upon individuals and society as a whole. This article considers the use of such a tactic by individuals, discussing its use and the research surrounding it at the international and national levels. It explores the introduction of the ‘The Children (Abolition of the Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Act,’ which will become law in Wales during March 2022. This Act, whilst not creating a specific criminal act in itself, removes the defence of reasonable chastisement for parents when correcting their children in Wales. The article further considers the potential impact that the removal of the reasonable chastisement clause may have for those agencies charged with overseeing the safety of children, including the potential increase in reported cases and the issues of media and public awareness.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)42-56
Number of pages15
JournalCrime Prevention and Community Safety
Volume24
Issue number1
Early online date4 Jan 2022
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 4 Jan 2022

Keywords

  • Community safety
  • workload
  • children
  • Reasonable chastisement
  • Corporal punishment
  • Wales
  • Partnership working

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