corporal punishment
Definition of corporal punishment
: punishment that involves hitting someone : physical punishment The school banned corporal punishment many years ago.
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Word by Word Definitions
: a linen cloth on which the eucharistic elements are placed
: corporeal, physical
: of, relating to, or affecting the body
: a noncommissioned officer ranking in the army above a private first class and below a sergeant and in the marine corps above a lance corporal and below a sergeant
: the act of punishing
: suffering, pain, or loss that serves as retribution
: a penalty inflicted on an offender through judicial procedure
Law Dictionary
corporal punishment
Legal Definition of corporal punishment
: punishment inflicted on a person's body — see also cruel and unusual punishment
Additional Notes on corporal punishment
The prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment in the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution imposes limits on the use of corporal punishment on convicted offenders and prisoners. The U.S. Supreme Court has found the Eighth Amendment to be inapplicable to the use of corporal punishment on schoolchildren.
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