Paper Title
Corporal Punishment and Restorative Justice – Are they Mutually Exclusive?

Abstract
Restorative Justice (RJ) is commonly envisioned as a process that brings the various stakeholders together (Marshall, 1999) to address the after-effects of offences and to (re)build relationships. It has also been portrayed as a set of distinctive values such as ‘caring’, ‘love’, compassion’, ‘forgiveness’ (Braithwaite &Strang, 2001). On the other hand, corporal punishment (CP) is often seen as a draconian punishment, given its propensity to dehumanise and objectify the recipient. Relying mainly on the use of in-depths interviews with students and teachers from two Secondary Schools, this study examines the relationship between CP and RJ, and questions if the two can co-exist. The study shows that CP is retained as a complementary response alongside the use of RJ rather than as a replacement to the existing disciplinary framework. Furthermore, the teachers are divided as to whether CP can or should co-exist with ‘pure RJ’. Lastly, the presentation will show that CP not only violates both retributive and RJ principles, but any deterrent effect is also limited by the ‘ritualistic performances’ of the teachers and students. Keywords - Corporal Punishment, Caning, Restorative Justice