조선시대 유배제도 연구는 의금부가 관장한 국가사범, 강상죄인 유배에 집중되어 왔다. 근자에는 형조와 관찰사가 관장한 평ㆍ천민 죄인 유배에 대한 연구에 대한 중요성이 제기되었다. 본고는 이를 적극 수용하여 평ㆍ천민을 서ㆍ천인이라 칭하고 이들에 대한 유배제도를 논구하였다. 서ㆍ천인은 직사가 없는 양반, 군공ㆍ납속ㆍ상천출신 하급양반과 중인ㆍ양인ㆍ천인을 포괄하는 용어이다. 이들에 대한 유배형은 형조와 관찰사가 관장했다. 형조는 한성부의 죄인을 각 도로, 관찰사는 본도의 죄인을 타도로 유배했다. 관찰사는 본도에 죄인이 도착하면 배소와 보수주인을 지정하는 등 규정에 따라 처리하고 국왕에게 보고했다. 죄인이 일상을 유지할 능력이 없으면 보수주인에게 의탁하는 일이 항상적으로 발생했고, 보수주인은 죄인의 무리한 요구와 패악에 시달리기도 했다. 이에 수령은 보수주인을 교체하거나 주민으로부터 곡물을 수취하여 지원하기도 했다. 유배 고을이 흉년이면 풍년인 고을로, 한 고을에 죄인이 10명이 넘으면 다른 고을로 이배했다. 처음에는 도내 이배로 한정했으나 심한 흉년이면 심하면 타도로도 이배했다. 죄인은 열악한 환경으로 도망자와 사망자가 속출했고, 이를 감호하지 못한 보수주인과 수령은 치죄되었다. 죄인이 압송 도중 도망하면 해당 지역 수령과 압송자를 치죄하였다. 사망자가 발생하면 수령은 속인을 대동하여 시신을 검험하고, 보수주인과 절린의 진술을 들어 병사를 확인하고 관찰사에게 보고하고, 관찰사는 국왕에게 보고했다. 형조와 관찰사의 서ㆍ천인 각 도 유배는 의금부의 고위관료 각 도 유배보다 훨씬 많았다. 이에 따라 유배의 절차와 방법, 유배지의 상황에 따른 이배 등을 세밀하게 규정했고, 고을은 지역의 사정에 따라 보수주인 처우방안도 모색하였다. 도망자와 사망자 처리 규정도 자세하게 정하여 서ㆍ천민 유배가 조선시대 형벌제도의 중요한 영역이었음을 말해주고 있다.
This research aims to explore the exile system for the commoner and the lower-class crimimals in the Joseon dynasty. In fact in the past the study on the exile system of the Joseon dynast was focused on the exile of the state criminals and high-ranking criminals, overseen by Uigeumbu(義禁府, the office for the deliberation of forbidden affairs), but recently the importance of studying the exile of the commoner and lower-class (庶‧賤人) criminals, overseen by both Hyeungjo(刑曹, the ministry of Justice) and gwanchalsa(觀察使, local governors), has been raised. The Korean term "seo-cheunin(庶‧賤人)" encompasses the yangban(兩班 the gentry) not in public office, lower-military officials and lowest-class people, as well as the middle class. Their exile was overseen by Hyeungjo and local governors called gwanchalsa. Uigeumbu exiled convicts from Hanseongbu(漢城府, the capital city administration) to a local province, while local governors exiled their convicts to another province. Once a new convict arrived, the local governor handled the criminal according to the established regulations, such as assigning the convict a place to stay and appoint a bosujuin(保授主人) as supervising master, and reported the process to the king. If a convict was unable to maintain his own daily routine, and invariably rely on his bosujuin(保授主人), the supervising master would suffer from the convict"s unreasonable demands and viciousness. Then in response the local governor (守令: suryeong) would replace the bosujuin or support him by collecting grain from villagers. If the place of exile was in a bad year, the convict was to be transferred to another province in a good year; if the district has more than 10 convicts, some of them were to be transferred to another district. Initially, this was limited to transfers within the province, but in severe years, transfers were also made to other provinces. If the convict under care fled and died due to poor conditions, and if the appointed bosujuin and local governor who failed to supervise the person were to be punished. If the criminal fled while being transferred, the governor and transporters were to be punished. When a sudden death occurred, the governor would send attendants to examine the fugitive’s body, listen to the statements of the supervising master and his close neighbors, identify the death from illness, and then report to the local governor, who would in turn report all the process to the king. The cases of exiles for commoner and lower-class criminals, carried out by Hyeungjo and local governors, were much more numerous than those of exiles for high-ranking officials sent by Uigeumbu. Accordingly, the procedures and methods of exile, as well as the transfers according to the circumstances of the place of exile, were stipulated in detail, and the treatment of the bosujuin was also explored according to the circumstances of the district. The rules for dealing with fugitives and the dead were also set in detail, indicating that the exile of commoner and lower-class criminals was an important part of the Joseon dynasty penal system.