사형집행인의 심리변화와 적응과정에 관한 연구 : 근거이론적 접근

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to address the psychological changes correctional officers might go through in the death penalty execution and how they adapted themselves to the events through the execution process. The research issue was what the psychological challenges correctional officers faced in the execution process are and how they got over them after the end of the execution. Also, this study has been executed by applying the grounded theory based on Strauss and Corbin(1998). The data were analyzed into seventy four concepts, twenty seven subcategories and ten categories with the open coding process. The research also revealed three stages the correctional officers might experience during the execution process, which were “the stage of experiencing the death penalty execution”, “the stage of justifying their action” and “the stage of the resignation and acceptance”. The key category was “the effort for putting the experience of the execution behind and getting one’s own life back” and it was analyzed three ways, which were focusing on the health, abandoning themselves to despair and suffering the traumas. This study makes a suggestion that the introduction of counseling or treatment programs for correctional officers, who may experience a psychological shock through the death penalty execution, will be needed. There are many different sides to the death penalty debate and they need to be reviewed from a humanitarian point of view widely and deeply.