Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Preface and Acknowledgements -- 1 Introduction -- 1.1 Corporal Punishment and the Philosophers -- 1.2 Distinguishing Corporal Punishment -- 1.3 An Outline of the Argument -- 2 The Benefits and Costs of Corporal Punishment -- 2.1 Can Retributivism Vindicate Corporal Punishment? -- 2.2 The Supposed Benefits of Corporal Punishment -- 2.2.1 Moral Education -- 2.2.2 Obedience-eliciting -- 2.2.3 Deterrence -- 2.2.4 Further Putative Benefits -- 2.3 The Costs of Corporal Punishment -- 2.3.1 Fewer Opportunities for Repentance-inducing Reflection -- 2.3.2 Anxiety and Fear -- 2.3.3 The Risk of Serious Psychological Harm -- 2.3.4 The Potential for Excessive Severity and Physical Abuse -- 2.3.5 Teaching the Wrong Lesson About Violence -- 2.3.6 Does Parental Love Moderate Harmful Effects? -- 2.4 A Final Response to Obdurate Defenders -- 3 Children's Rights and Security of the Person -- 3.1 The Rights Engaged by Corporal Punishment -- 3.2 Do Children Have the Rights in Question? -- 3.3 The Right to Security of the Person -- 3.3.1 Normatively Neutral Definitions of Violence -- 3.3.2 Legitimist Definitions of Violence -- 3.3.3 Corporal Punishment Is Violent -- 4 Is Corporal Punishment Degrading, Cruel or Torturous? -- 4.1 The Right to Protection Against Degrading Punishment -- 4.1.1 Preliminary Reflections on Degrading Punishments -- 4.1.2 How Corporal Punishment Degrades -- 4.1.3 A Reply to Objections -- 4.2 The Right to Protection Against Cruel Punishment -- 4.2.2 What Are Cruel Punishments? -- 4.2.3 Is Corporal Punishment Cruel? -- 4.3 The Right to Protection Against Torturous Punishment -- 4.3.1 The Difficulty of Distinguishing Corporal Punishment from Torture -- 4.3.2 Not All Corporal Punishment Is Torturous -- 4.3.3 What's Especially Wrong with Torturing Children?