Child Abuse is one of the most prevalent acts around.  The usual cases of Child Abuse arise when a parent or an adult in charge of a child attempts to enforce some type of discipline and goes overboard.  Exactly where the line lies between acceptable forms of discipline and which ones are unacceptable is questionable.  Of course, there is absolute consensus that hitting a child with a belt, or beating him or her with a fist are absolutely unacceptable.  Any person doing this will be prosecuted.  But what about a spanking?  Many feel that this is too much in our highly developed society.  Yet others believe that at times spanking a child is an acceptable way to get their point across.  The Superior Court system and the District Attorney’s Office do not have an official opinion on the issue of spanking, and evaluate each case that is presented to them by the Police.  They consider factors such as frequency, duration, force, and of course any injuries or marks if any, left by the parent.  They try to decide whether a particular case involves willful cruelty or unjustifiable punishment of a child, or both. [see Penal Code 273 et. seq.] This is not a complete list by any means.  If one inflicts mental suffering on a child, or allows the health of a child to be injured, it all comes under the umbrella of Child Abuse.  Suffice it to say that neither you, nor anyone you know would want to be the subject of such an evaluation.