NCJ Number
152441
Journal
International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice Volume: 18 Issue: 1 & 2 Dated: (Spring/Fall 1994) Pages: 39-51
Date Published
1994
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This article examines the use of judicial caning by authorities in Malaysia and South Africa, particularly as it relates to a tactic in those countries' war on drugs.
Abstract
The case of Aaron Cohen, a young New Zealander caught by Malaysian authorities in possession of a small amount of heroin, illustrates the harshness of Malaysia's caning laws. Caning, as practiced in countries like Malaysia, has been condemned by Amnesty International and the United Nations as a cruel and degrading punishment. In comparison to Malaysia's unrelenting use of caning, South Africa, which canes more people annually than any other country in the world and has an especially strong tradition of caning juvenile offenders, has nonetheless placed multiple restrictions on caning, particularly for adult prisoners. The caning laws in the two countries are compared in terms of mandatory canings, age, sex, delay, size of cane, number of strokes, number and frequency of canings, mental condition, and imprisonment. The article calls on the government of Malaysia to appoint a commission to examine the current practice of judicial corporal punishment and to recommend alternative sanctions. 58 notes