사형수신드롬에 관한 질적 연구

Qualitative Study on the Death-row Syndrome

This article relates to criminological implications how physical circumstances and psychological experiences harmfully affect death-row prisoners. They should have been executed right after their final verdict, however, they have endured their life for long period of time without execution. Since they can be put to death legally and practically at any time, they have lived under the extreme stresses and experienced deathlike fears for the long time. With a stigmatized red name-tag outrightly different from others, their everyday life on a death row has been lonely and disconnected causing the fear of death. None has discussed the so-called death-row syndrome and the circumstances and experiences of death-row prisoners in Korea. As an active prison warden, the author interviewed in-depth thirteen convicts on death-row and analysed qualitatively their narratives about their physical circumstances and psychological experiences. Recently they could get along with other prisoners in prison cells and participated in working at prison factories. For all the changed conditions of death-row prisoners, the article discloses that their conditions and experiences relate to the so-called death-row syndrome. It is proved by delayed execution, poor conditions, and deteriorated psychological sufferings. Therefore, death-row syndrome should be considered on the issues of the abolition and execution of death penalty.