Even more worrying is that in this situation when something goes wrong – eg the Springtown paddling in Texas. The community is blind to what are black-and-white issues and takes up defensive positions, circles the wagon, and demonizes the victim, whereas all that is needed is a cool assessment that the regulations set for good reason were NOT followed. But this is but a whimper compared to the enforcement of say, Brown vs the Board of Education, when civil disobedience became rife over firmly held irrational ideological beliefs.
That’s why despite seeing the logic of abolition, it seems more politically sensible to concentrate on hedging any use of the paddle with clear restrictions and regulations to avoid abuse, and yes have an opt-out or in the system as an integral part of this. That way the system can ensure mistakes shouldn’t happen., and numbers paddled should decline significantly.