Caning - Definition and Overview

Caning also refers to a method of weaving chair seats and other furniture. See Caning (furniture)

Caning is corporal punishment with a cane, generally on the buttocks, palm or the soles of the feet. It was a common punishment throughout Europe and North America for many centuries, but has now been banned in most countries.

Caning was practiced as a judicial punishment for juveniles but was best known as a method of discipline in schools. Use of the cane was standard in English schools of all descriptions throughout the 19th and most of the 20th centuries, with the frequency and severity of canings determined by the traditions of the school.

Judicial caning, carried out with a long rattan rod, was a feature of some colonial judicial systems.

Caning is still retained in Malaysia and Singapore, where fit male criminals under 50 years of age can be sentenced to a maximum of 24 strokes of the rotan (rattan) cane on the buttocks. The punishment is mandatory for over 40 offenses, mostly violent crimes, but also some immigration violations and acts of vandalism. The caning leaves permanent scars on the recipient.

Caning is also a common sadomasochistic practice. Caning is known as "The English Vice ".

See also

• Spanking
• Birching
• Flagellation
• Bastinado
• BDSM

References and further reading

• Janet Hardy, The Toybag Guide to Canes and Caning, Greenery Press, 2004. ISBN 1890159565.