As a formal school teacher I would like to say that the studies finding that corporal punishment does more damage are complete bullshit!!! Most american public schools have become complete disasters because the kids know that they will not face any relevant consequences for bad actions. The current time outs are have NO effect at all, in fact for some incurring the time out type of punishment is a point of honor.
I agree with this 100%. I grew up in the period when this was still allowed and there were far fewer problems then we have now. I also taught school when we weren't allowed to touch the students in any way shape or form for any reason. When the kids know this, they know THEY have the upper hand. This wasn't in California or some other bastion of American liberalism, it was in Nebraska.
Their is another problem too though that must be addressed. Parents who think their children can do no wrong. My dad always told me when I went to school if I ever got in trouble at school, I'd get it twice as bad when I got home. Fortunately, I didn't have to put him to the test often. Today, if a kid gets in trouble at school, the parents hire a lawyer.