I don't ever recall getting spanked as a child, I was the kind of kid the moment you raised your voice turned into a big weeping shame-filled puddle on the floor. I remember when we were very little though my brother was spanked once, I don't even remember what it was about... he tried to use one of his toys to cover up his butt, well guess what, the toy broke. We all laugh about it now but it's still kind of shocking that dad would hit him that hard to make an action figure fall apart.
There is more then one way to punish a child without hitting them. Sure, they would fear a spanking if they did something wrong, however other methods like a time out (which kids loathe) work just as well when done properly. There really is no excuse in my opinion.
It's ridiculous to claim that the crime rate is going up just because spanking is rarely used anymore. What about the other factors such as media getting more and more violent (which wouldn't be as much of a problem if kids weren't exposed to it, it's preventable because everything has clear ratings about what is and is not appropriate for children). Also take into consideration about the growing number of divorce rates- problems at home often increase delinquency in children. It is also my belief that kids today are disrespectful not because they were not "put into place" but because parents are not firm and consistent enough with their children.