Ingraham v. Wright by Graham Parker

Key Figures

parker44_1 — 2025-02-26 19:44:11 UTC

Soloman Barnes, Roosevelt Andrews, James Ingraham, Willie J. Wright, Lemmie Deliford, Edwart L. Whigham,

It also involved the Dade County School System.

Key Facts

parker44_1 — 2025-02-26 19:44:29 UTC

On October 1, 1970, Assistant Principal Solomon Barnes applied corporal punishment to Roosevelt Andrews and fifteen other boys in a restroom at Charles R. Drew Junior High School. A teacher had accused Andrews of tardiness, but Andrews claimed he still had two minutes to get to class when he was seized. When Andrews resisted paddling, Barnes struck him on the arm, back, and across the neck. On October 6, 1970, Principal Willie J. Wright removed James Ingraham and several other disruptive students to his office, where he paddled eight to ten of them.

Questions

parker44_1 — 2025-02-26 19:44:46 UTC

Does the cruel and unusual punishment clause of the Eighth Amendment forbid corporal punishment inflicted by teachers and administrators upon Ingraham and Andrews at Charles R. Drew Junior High School? Does Dade County School System’s corporal punishment policy violate due process?

Conclusion

parker44_1 — 2025-02-26 19:44:56 UTC

In a 5-4 decision written by Justice Lewis Powell, the Court held that the Eighth Amendment does not prevent corporal punishment in public schools. While acknowledging the general abandonment of corporal punishment as a means of punishing criminals, Justice Powell looked to the common law history of similar punishment in schools and discerned no trend towards its elimination. Rather, common law suggested that teachers could legally impose reasonable, non-excessive force on their students.

Movie Trailer

parker44_1 — 2025-02-26 19:56:43 UTC