By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post

In light of the Minnesota Vikings Adrian Peterson indictment for reckless or negligent injury to his 4-year-old son —  a charge he denies, saying he was disciplining his child — leaves many wondering: What is the difference between corporal punishment and child abuse?

While Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees said he can not speak of the Peterson case, he did say Kansas law (KS Statute 21-5602.) determines child abuse  based on many factors including the age of child and severity of corporal punishment inflicted on the child.

“It comes down to a very fact-specific determination as to whether the amount of physical punishment on the child is appropriate for the child, given the size of the child, given the amount of force inflicted upon the child and whether or not that causes a deterioration of the child’s health,” Drees said.

He added culturally and as a society, the type of discipline tolerated today is much different than in the past.

“Twenty or 50 years ago, corporal punishment was the norm — not uncommon for parents to spank their children with a belt,” he said. “Today, that would probably be seen as crossing the line, it has a great likelihood of causing physical harm to a child by using a belt.”

Drees cautioned parents who practice physical punishment.

“They (caregivers) will have to decide if they wish to use corporal punishment or not, and if they do  it should be used sparingly and appropriately and only with the amount of force given the age of the child,” he said, noting if a parent or caregiver thinks they are going overboard with physical discipline, then they probably are.

Drees encouraged parents to get help, if needed, noting there are organizations in Ellis County that provide free counseling and parenting classes.

A list of local resources can be found HERE.