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The Adrian Peterson Case Study
The Adrian Peterson Case Study
Background
Background
During the 2014 NFL season, news broke of allegations aimed towards star Running Back, for the Minnesota Vikings, Adrian Peterson, claiming he severely abused his son at their home in Texas. Since being drafted by the Vikings in 2007, Peterson has dominated the league setting impressive rushing records, as well as winning league MVP in 2012, and making the pro bowl six times at the time of this incident. His dominating presence in the NFL was preceded by a equally impressive college career at Oklahoma, where he managed to be an All American in 2004, and win the Hart Trophy in 2003, which is given to the best high school player in the country who is declared to play in college. Peterson was not unfamiliar with being in the spotlight, as he was beloved by fans all across the country, and by young football players who wished to be like him. In October of the 2014 football season the spotlight was on Peterson for all the wrong reasons.
The Incident and the Evidence
The Incident and the Evidence
Adrian Peterson received indictment on a charge of reckless or negligent injury to a child, stemmed from a punishment the Minnesota Vikings running back gave his 4-year-old son.
In an interview with police, Peterson said he “whooped” his son with a tree branch in May after he pushed another one of his sons off a motorbike video game in Spring, Texas. The beating resulted in multiple cuts and bruises on the boy’s lower body and defensive wounds on the child’s hands.
"Peterson allegedly texted the boy’s mother upon noticing a particular wound on the child’s leg that he believed would make her mad. He later texted: 'Never do I go overboard! But all my kids will know, hey daddy has the biggie heart but don’t play no games when it comes to acting right'" (1).
In a police report, however, Peterson’s son gave more information. The boy told authorities, “Daddy Peterson hit me on my face,” and apparently was worried Peterson would punch him in the face if he reported the incident. The child also said he was hit with a belt and that Peterson put leaves in his mouth during the beating. Peterson’s son went to a previously scheduled appointment upon returning to Minnesota with his mother, and a doctor said the injuries were consistent with child abuse (1).
Peterson acknowledged this incident was more severe than other “whoopings” he has delivered to his children, as he didn’t realize the branch was wrapping around the child’s legs and causing further injury. He said he believed he hit the child 10 or 15 times. Peterson was then deactivated from the Vikings roster against the Patriots the week he was charged.
This is not the first time that Peterson has been questioned for his parenting. In 2013, Peterson was in hot water after a cut was found on Peterson's baby daughters forehead. Evidence from that incident was used in the big investigation in 2014.
The Generational and Cultural Gap
The Generational and Cultural Gap
The opinions on the Peterson case vary from person to person, as many have different views on what happened. A large group of people believe that this was child abuse, with no arguing any other way. From viewing all of the pictures of Peterson's son after the punishment, it is clear why many people think this was abuse. The pictures were gruesome and very concerning, especially because the child was a four year old. Very quickly everybody turned against Peterson for what he did, but Peterson did not understand.
When these allegations came out against Peterson, he was confused about why he was being attacked for abusing his child. While he did understand that he went overboard with the punishment, he still saw it as nothing more then punishing his child for making a mistake, something that seemed normal to him.
There is a generational and cultural gap between opinions about what corporal punishment is, and where the line is drawn for child abuse. For many older adults currently, they grew up being physically punished by their parents at home, and for some, punished at school. This generation may see what Peterson did as overboard, obviously, but with an intent of not abuse, but trying to correct his child for making a mistake. Contrary to that group, there is another group of people who believe there is no place for that kind of beating in the world, and see it as abuse and punishment.
For Peterson, the way he punished his child seemed normal to him, as he was raised in a home that operated the same way. Besides for understanding that he went to far and too aggressive, he did not know any better with how to discipline his child.
ACLU Case Study
ACLU Case Study
In a 2006-2007 case study, conducted by American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), researchers investigated the presence of corporal punishment in schools for those years, and what effects this had on students and their academic achievement.
Even in the years of 2006-2007, there was still an evident presence of corporal punishment in the school system. The study conducted by the ACLU found that " Despite the many problems associated with the hitting or paddling of students, corporal punishment is a legal form of school discipline in 20 states. Of these, thirteen states have reported that corporal punishment was inflicted on over one thousand students and eight states reported its use against at least ten thousand students during the 2006-2007 school year. While significant, these numbers do not tell the whole story. These statistics only reflect data which has been reported to the Department of Education and they only include the number of students who are subjected to corporal punishment during the school year, not the total number of times that an individual student has been hit over his or her educational career" (ACLU Study 2).
Aside from the infliction of pain and the physical injuries which often result from the use physical punishments, these violent disciplinary methods also impact students' academic achievement and long-term well-being. Despite significant evidence that corporal punishment is detrimental to a productive learning environment, there is currently no federal prohibition on the use of physical discipline against children in public school. In fact, children in some states receive greater protections against corporal punishment in detention facilities than they do in their public schools.
Who is the ACLU?
Who is the ACLU?
The ACLU is a nationwide, non-partisan organization working daily in courts, Congress, and communities to defend and preserve the civil rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country. For thirty years, Human Rights Watch has investigated human rights violations wherever they occur, including in the United States, exposed the perpetrators, and advocated for change.
Dark blue states signify where corporal punishment is still legal. Since 2006 and 2007 only one state has gone on to make it illegal to use corporal punishment in schools. It is still legal in 19 states.
Disproportionate Use of Corporal Punishment
Disproportionate Use of Corporal Punishment
Students of color and students with disabilities are disproportionately subjected to corporal punishment, hampering their access to a supportive learning environment. According to the Department of Education, while African Americans make up 17.1 percent of public school students nationwide, they accounted for 35.6 percent of those who were paddled during the 2006-2007 school year.
The ACLU study investigated at a public school in the state of Mississippi, where prime examples of disproportionate use of corporal punishment were found. It is said, "One Mississippi high school student described the administration of corporal punishment in her school this way: 'every time you walk down the hall you see a black kid getting whipped. I would say out of the whole school there's only about three white kids who have gotten paddled'" (ACLU Study 2).
In many of these cases, students were punished for exhibiting behaviors related to their disabilities, such as autism or Tourette's syndrome. The effects of corporal punishment on students with disabilities can dramatically impact their behavior and hamper their academic performance.
Academic Performance
Academic Performance
Harsh physical punishments do not improve students' in-school behavior or academic performance. In fact, one recent study found that in states where corporal punishment is frequently used, schools have performed worse academically than those in states that prohibit corporal punishment. While most states demonstrated improvements in their American College Testing (ACT) scores from 1994 to 2008, "as a group, states that paddled the most improved their scores the least." At the same time "the ten states with the longest histories of forbidding corporal punishment improved the most" with improvement rates three times higher than those states which reported frequent use of corporal punishment (ACLU Study 2).
Many children who have been subjected to hitting, paddling or other harsh disciplinary practices have reported subsequent problems with depression, fear and anger. These students frequently withdraw from school activities and disengage academically. The Society for Adolescent Medicine has found that victims of corporal punishment often develop "deteriorating peer relationships, difficulty with concentration, lowered school achievement, antisocial behavior, intense dislike of authority, somatic complaints, a tendency for school avoidance and school drop-out, and other evidence of negative high-risk adolescent behavior" (ACLU Study 2).
"Corporal punishment is a destructive form of discipline that is ineffective in producing educational environments in which students can thrive. Rather than relying on harsh and threatening disciplinary tactics, schools and teachers should be encouraged to develop positive behavior supports (PBS), which have proven effective in reducing the need for harsh discipline while supporting a safe and productive learning environment" (ACLU Study 2).
Works Cited
(1) Galanis, Sam. “Report: Adrian Peterson Told Cops He Beat 4-Year-Old Son With Tree Branch.” NESN.com, 13 Sept. 2014, nesn.com/2014/09/adrian-peterson-beat-visibly-injured-4-year-old-son-with-tree-branch/.
(2) Smith, Brendan L. “The Case Against Spanking .” Monitor on Psychology, American Psychological Association, Apr. 2012, www.apa.org/monitor/2012/04/spanking.aspx.
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