More to the Story?

Re “ ‘Spank Your Child, Go to Jail,’ ” Voices, Sept. 2: Spanking, defined as a swat to the bottom of a child with a hand, is generally not illegal. What can be classified as child abuse is hitting a child with any kind of instrument or weapon, hitting a child on the face or head, hitting a child that leaves bruises or draws blood. A swat on the bottom of a infant child could be life-threatening and could indeed be labeled as child abuse, but not on an older child. How old was this child? Is there a history of domestic violence or substantiated child abuse in this home or any kind of court order limiting one or both parents’ access to the child? What kind of “spanking” occurred?

I manage an agency that investigates more than 20,000 cases of alleged child abuse each year. In 20 years, I have never seen a case where a parent was arrested for swatting a child on the bottom, but I have seen many parents tell their story without disclosing all the facts that would make the actions of authorities more understandable. There has to be more to this story.

LARRY LEAMAN, Director

Orange County Social

Services Agency, Santa Ana