A Texas woman recently lost custody of her 2-year-old child and was placed on 5 years of probation after she a judge chided her for spanking her child and found her guilty of injuring a child. According to the judge's ruling, spanking is a crime.

The case, which many believed to have been an extreme imposition of judicial discretion, calls into question how much freedom parents have to discipline their children, and when authorities may intervene to remove custody from a parent.

The judge in charge of the case, Jose Longoria, told the Corpus Christi mother, "You don't spank children today...In the old days, maybe we got spanked, but there was a different quarrel. You don't spank children. You understand?" He also ordered her to take parenting classes.

The mother had apparently spanked her 2-year-old daughter on the butt with her hand. The spanking apparently left red marks-but no bruises-and the child's paternal grandmother later reported the incident to authorities and took the girl to the hospital.

Under Texas law, spanking is not illegal, according to the Texas Attorney General's website. But spanking can become abuse if there are bruises, welts, or swelling. In any case, it isn't entirely clear where to draw the line in every case between abuse and permissible discipline.

Sources said the child's mother is currently attempting to get back custody of her daughter and another of her three children, but that the girl will remain wither her paternal grandmother until officials are convinced the woman is fit to care for her.

Source: NPR, "Mom Sentenced For Spanking Child Sparks Debate On Discipline," Eyder Peralta, 20 June 2011.