Comparative Legal Approaches to Corporal Punishment: Regulating for Behavioural Change

This chapter examines the relationship between law and social norms, and behaviours, specifically parental practices of physical punishment of their children. It provides a comparative analysis of jurisdictions which have, and which have not, legislated to ban parental physical punishment. It considers whether law and the courts should intervene in parental behaviours, and if so, in what ways might the law be involved. It addresses the politics of legislating in this area, and whether legal change leads to behavioural change.