Prison guards and the death penalty

How are prison officers affected by overseeing prisoners on death row or even participating in executions? What effects does it have in the short and the longer term?

This short paper draws on research and interviews with prison guards to outline the psychological impact that guards who have worked with prisoners for many years on death row can experience when a prisoner is put to death.

This paper is part of a series looking at the wider impact of the death penalty. See also our paper: Fighting for clients’ lives: the impact of the death penalty on defence lawyers.