Corporal punishment refers to deliberate infliction of pain on someone as correction. It is usually applied using an instrument such as a cane, switch or whip. Some such implements have become well-known. The 'cat-o-nine-tails' once used in America and by the British is one example. The horrific Russian knout, which consisted of leather thongs with pieces of metal inserted, is another example.
Corporal and capital punishment were long the main forms of punishment used by society. Since the 18th century corporal punishment has tended to be gradually replaced by fines and incarceration. However, several societies retain widespread use of corporal punishment; this includes nations such as Singapore and Malaysia. The Singaporean practice of caning became much discussed in the U.S. in 1994, when American teenager Michael Fay was sentenced to such punishment for an offence of car vandalisation. In Singapore, male violent offenders and rapists are typically sentenced to caning in addition to a prison term.
Corporal punishment is further an important part of Islam's traditional Sharia law. According to that legal system, also women may be subject to corporal punishment. The person carrying out the whipping must however in this case retain a copy of the Quran (the Islamic bible) in his armpit, which significantly limits the range of motion and thus the impact of the blows.
A small minority of Western thinkers argue that corporal punishment is a quick and effective method that should be considered as an alternative to incarceration. Historically, it has been used on slaves, servants, women, children, prisoners and idiots. In modern societies, only the corporal punshiment of children ("spanking") usually remains officially tolerated.