One Democratic candidate for attorney general believes some parents who come from a culture in which spanking is the norm should catch a break if they are charged criminally with beating a kid.

And he has the program to do just that.

Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne has launched a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at diverting from the traditional criminal justice system certain minority defendants charged with child abuse if they use corporal punishment as a "culturally acceptable form of discipline."

The program was created in response to the disproportionate percentage of minorities accused of child abuse in Dane County.

Ozanne says in a five-page report that his goal is to reduce criminal convictions for minority offenders by "recognizing corporal punishment as a culturally acceptable form of discipline and attempt to influence change utilizing culturally sensitive interventions."

The plan gives certain parents "deferred prosecution agreements" when they are accused of child abuse. These agreements allow defendants to avoid prison and have their

charges reduced or dropped altogether if they complete certain requirements and don't run into any more trouble during a specified period.

Among those considered appropriate candidates for deferred prosecutions in Ozanne's program:

"Any parent/defendant who utilizes corporal punishment as a culturally acceptable form of discipline and the current incident escalated to abusive conduct."

A campaign spokesman for Ozanne, one of three Democrats vying to be the state's top cop, said the Dane County DA is not going soft on anyone with this program. The program outline is dated Jan. 14.

"The priority of this program is to protect children," said Stan Davis, campaign aide for Ozanne. "We have learned over the years that doing things the old way is not necessarily the best or most effective way to protect children."

Other candidates skeptical

The other AG candidates were given copies of Ozanne's program, called "Deferred Prosecution Unit Child Abuse Initiative: Addressing Racial Disparities & Corporal Punishment."

All were highly skeptical of this kinder, gentler approach to child abuse cases.

Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel, a Republican,said he would never put in place an initiative such as this with "culturally sensitive interventions."

"Under Wisconsin law, parents are permitted to use reasonable discipline, but no parent has a right to abuse a child, and they should be held accountable under the law," Schimel said in a written statement. "There is no justification for the abuse of children."

State Rep. Jon Richards was even more concise.

"When it comes to child abuse, protecting kids should be the one and only priority," said Richards, a Milwaukee Democrat.

According to Ozanne's summary of the program, police referred 174 cases of child abuse to the Dane County district attorney's office from June 2011 to June 2012. Of that number, 54% were minority offenders, even though minorities make up only 15% of the county's population.

In addition, parents who spank their children are nine times more likely to injure or abuse them, according to the report.

Ozanne put his program in the context of "peaceful childhood initiatives" going on elsewhere. He noted that Dane County has just added a specialist in "restorative justice" to its deferred prosecution team.

Those eligible for the deferred prosecution deals under Ozanne's program are parents or defendants who abused children as a result of excessive discipline, admitted their guilt, lacked a recent criminal background and showed remorse. Prosecutors then work with child protective services to come up with a specific program that these defendants must complete to clear or reduce the criminal charges.

For example, defendants can enter an 18-week comprehensive parenting program for those who use excessive corporal punishment. The program costs $2,160 a person.

"Both minority parents and their children are likely to receive short-term and long-term benefits from a deferred prosecution model, which provides timely intervention addressing alternative discipline approaches," the summary states.

Davis said the program builds on a nearly decade-long practice in Dane County of diverting some child abuse cases from the traditional criminal justice system.

Since 2006, there have been 662 cases of child abuse or neglect in Dane County, with just about a quarter of those defendants receiving deferred prosecution deals. More whites than blacks were given these deals.

While Ozanne's summary of the program refers only to African-American families, Davis said other groups view spanking as a "culturally acceptable form of discipline."

Dane County has had abuse cases, he said, involving parents from faith communities that take literally the biblical passage to "spare the rod and spoil the child."

"It's not just for black defendants," Davis said. Of the 19 defendants currently in Ozanne's new deferred prosecution program, 10 are black.

It appears the corporal punishment initiative is an outgrowth of something called the Racial Justice Improvement Project. A two-day conference on Ozanne's plan is set for June in Dane County.

Davis said the project has the support of other groups, including the National Center for Effective Disciplineand the University of Wisconsin Hospitals Department of Pediatrics.

But this approach has its critics.

Especially among Ozanne's opponents.

Jefferson County District Attorney Susan Happ — the third Democrat running for the open AG's post this fall — said she is very cautious when recommending deferred prosecutions or other alternatives to incarceration, especially when the victim is a minor.

"Child abuse is something I take extremely seriously," Happ said. "I understand there may be cultural differences, but I do not condone child abuse under any circumstances."

Contact Daniel Bice at (414) 224-2135 or dbice@journalsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanielBice or on Facebook at fb.me/daniel.bice.