Is it child abuse to whip your child with a belt? Conservative judge says no

[hellheaven1987]

Well, I meant someone who generally follows the laws I suppose, ie: obedient as far as society is concerned. "good" is a loaded word on its own.

Obedient person, however, is not necessary good from moral aspect.

[Blaze86420]

I got belted until my ass was blue when I was a kid. Don't really consider that abuse. I think society in general is too soft on kids and power of CPS in so haphazardly breaking up families is ridiculous. This video I don't know what to think because the "victim is a girl" and I think maybe you shouldn't do that to a girl. I probably would feel differently if it was a 16 yr old boy though. I would think in my mind "c'mon you pussy get over it!" Maybe my bias is appropriate or not.

Hell no, the guy went way too far. First of all, she's 16. You shouldn't lay your hand on your kid once they're around 10. Secondly, that was way too brutal. He whipped her with a belt repeatedly, he shouldn't even do it once. And its a girl FFS. The guy is a scumbag and he's the one that should be punished.

[Stark of Winterfell]

Also, I think part of the problem is that she was beaten for downloading music illegally off the internet. Almost everyone does that, and I have to say, many people will buy the music they really appreciate. All in all, as far as crimes go this one isn't so serious. I could more understand the father's actions is she had caused massive physical damage to something or nearly killed someone. Corporal punishment like this, if employed, should be reserved for serious crimes, not downloading some songs illegally.

[Juggernaut]

Once the master could flog his workers, even free workers. Once beating wives was tolerated too. Why is that only the most vulnerable members of our society (ie chilren) should have their rights still violated in this outrageous manner? If we do not feel its appropriate that hardy adults be hit with a belt - how can we possibly expect children to be able to deal with this? This girl probably has PSTD. I had a friend who was an expert in PTSD - who were her patients? Combat veterans and victims of child abuse. Those who are abused as children have a similar damaged mental state to those who have been put through combat - which gives you an idea of just how damaging it is.

My view on corporal punishment is that for very young children, as a last resort a short sharp smack on the butt with an open hand once can be deployed. But that's it. This is only because you cannot reason with a 3 year old child about wandering out the front door onto the road and how you shouldn't do it or similar. But it would be very very rare. Most of the time saying, no xbox, no tv, sit in your room (or the more boring laundry) is a far better punishment.

Beating older children only teaches them - if you have a problem with someone beat them until they are subdued and they do what you want. That is not a good lesson. People like to say, but there will be anarchy if we dont beat our kids? Really. Go to Scandinavia, where smacking is frowned upon and you will find some of the most civilised people on the planet - save as for and except the 'newcomers, I mean real Scandinavians. They don't hit their kids.

This man is a brutal bully and but for the statute of limitations would have been prosecuted. But what is worse for him than punishment, is being confronted with the shame of what he is done. Judges value their reputation and prestige. His position will become untenable.

Surprisingly, for the first time I actually agree with you. I really don't have anything else to say here. The fact that you have to slap your child to educate them is already a failure of education.

[Sher Khan]

But what is worse for him than punishment, is being confronted with the shame of what he is done. Judges value their reputation and prestige. His position will become untenable.

This is what we want to be true. Instead we did him a favor, and now he can crowd source his guilt.

[YukonTrooper]

The best part is how the judge sat over child abuse cases.

[Admiral Piett]

I was whipped by my dad with a belt a few times, but never this sadistically and only on the ass. Never threatened to beat my face, my legs, my arms, my stomach, or my back. Also, its unacceptable to beat your children after a certain age. 16 is WAY too old to be still beating your children. My last spank was at age 12. I guarantee you if it were a 16 year old boy, he would not have belted him. The fact was that a 16 year old, physically disabled girl presented no threat to his authority so he could simply abuse her at will. A teenage male could have potentially fought back that far into it. I most certainly would have. He could have simply just disconnected the computer and grounded her as punishment if downloading media was that offensive to him. When you lose control to anger is when it becomes abuse.

A funny tidbit is that I very nearly moved to Rockport a couple years back. If I lived there, I definitely would have a few words with this asshat.

[spanish_emperor]

When you lose control to anger is when it becomes abuse.

great line and i agree wholeheartedly.

I was spanked when i was young and whipped occasionally, but i never believed it was necessary. Punishments form a small portion of guiding proper behavior, rewards form the majority. I would have simply rewarded the daughter everytime she did the correct thing rather than whip her with a belt every time she did something as trivial as downloading illegally.

[TheXand]

Lmao "You turn over like a 16 year old and take it! Like a grown woman! Turn over!"

Freud would have a field day with this family :/

But srsly this whole video was perverse and disturbing and I hope that man loses his job and he and his wife lose custody of their child.

[Simon Cashmere]

Just something else that is ironic:

County Attorney Richard Bianchi, meanwhile, said a visiting judge would handle all Adams' cases, not just those involving the state's child protective services as originally planned, for the next two weeks. Adams often presides over child abuse cases.

Also to give this guy procedural fairness, here is the statement he released in response giving his side:

http://www.kristv.com/files/Judge-Adams-statement.pdf

The statement is not very convincing.

It basically says this was revenge for the Judge taking away financial support because she dropped out of college. Whether her reasons for releasing the video were good or bad, does not excuse or minimise his actions.

Also just one other thing for those in Australia, it's illegal to watch the video, and I have not. Posting the link is not illegal, but watching it would be. Unlikely to be busted for watching it, but still, just so you know.....

[Gatsby]

Well I came from a very lower-class family, and I, at most, got a few slaps on the bottom a few times in my childhood. And those rare spankings were never effective in my opinion because even to this day I don't know what I had done wrong, which defeats the purpose of them. So theoretically you can consider me free of any real physical punishment.

I think I've turned out alright, I've never had a punishment in my school life, at all, I reguarly perform excellently in school, and I've never gotten into trouble doing stupid crap out of school.

I dare say that many of my similarly-aged aquantences have been physically punished sometimes before, certainly worse than me, yet I work harder than them and I behave better than them, explanation?

Maybe I just had parents who knew how to instill discipline and respect without medieval methods.

[Yosemite]

Yes I perfectly understand where your comming from. You think it's ok for childern to lie, steal, cheat and break laws, but whipping said child is wrong.

not beating child=accepting criminal behavior from said child

awesome logic

[Odovacar]

I think I've turned out alright, I've never had a punishment in my school life, at all, I reguarly perform excellently in school, and I've never gotten into trouble doing stupid crap out of school.

Because moral education means education by example, respect and consent not violence.

Maybe I just had parents who knew how to instill discipline and respect without medieval methods.

Not even all medievals thought like that. Walter von der Vogelweide wrote a poem, titles 'Nieman kan mit gerten' ('No one could with beating') against child beating methods in the 13th century.
Hello, Texas of 21st century

[Condottiere 40K]

Parenting may need licensing.

[mongrel]

Surprisingly, for the first time I actually agree with you. I really don't have anything else to say here. The fact that you have to slap your child to educate them is already a failure of education.

Me too. All that is required is authority, a naughty step for little ones or other sanctions and harsh language.

In any case , why beat someone who is 16 years old. Surely at that point they are old enough to make their own mistakes and suffer the consequences of them themselves.

[John ''True Grit'' Wayne]

My father pointed a shot gun at my head when i was 4 and it did me noooo harm whatsoever.....

[Yosemite]

My father pointed a shot gun at my head when i was 4 and it did me noooo harm whatsoever.....

you stopped using shotguns in games?

[YuriVII]

You're just reflecting gender norms you've been taught since birth. Is that bad? Only if you don't want to think critically I suppose.

Do you think getting your ass belted blue made you a better person? Or that it was necessary to being a good person? Studies show it is not.

My getting disciplined with a belt days were in Russia...so we have different cultural standards there. You know, in order to condition boys into soldiers so that when the time to storm across the Fulda Gap and sack Paris came we would be up to the task.

Anyways...my father didn't take the belt to me for just any misdemeanor but serious bad acts I did, like throwing rocks off a bridge down on busses or dishonoring the family type of stuff. I sure as hell did not do that anymore after that. Of coarse everything has a limit. There is nothing wrong about smacking your kid over the head and calling them an idiot when they are doing something really idiotic. Parents have been doing it for millenia and I don't think its gonna stop anytime soon. Different styles for different kinds of parents for different kinds of kids. No one size fits all so laws should reflect that.

Hell no, the guy went way too far. First of all, she's 16. You shouldn't lay your hand on your kid once they're around 10. Secondly, that was way too brutal. He whipped her with a belt repeatedly, he shouldn't even do it once. And its a girl FFS. The guy is a scumbag and he's the one that should be punished.

Yeah 16 years old is way too late, I definitely agree.

[Portuguese Rebel]

I'm SUPPORTER of hands only. And at the right time. A 16 year old learns nothing from a beating. Way too late.

[boofhead]

Myself and my brothers got heaps worse than that, and we aren't moping about like victims sulking publicly.

And the end result: we are all decent people, successful people, who love our old dad and respect him greatly for what he taught us, even if we hated his guts at the time.

And I know for a fact my dad suffered worse from his own parents. He was being mild when he kicked our arses.

This modern world has made people weak, sulking jokes of humanity.