Corporal—or physical—punishment or discipline of a minor remains legal in Illinois—at least when it comes to the infliction of corporal punishment by a parent or guardian, writes Katharine Pancewicz in her June Illinois Bar Journal article, “A Balancing Act.” Pancewicz focuses on corporal punishment inflicted by parents or guardians and briefly touches upon corporal punishment by professionals such as teachers.

While one’s upbringing and cultural, religious, and personal beliefs, influence our reaction to corporal punishment, Pancewicz shows there can be fine line between acceptable punishment and physical abuse.

Read "A Balancing Act" in the June IBJ.