227:
284:. Many became prominent businesspeople and respected citizens, and some prominent families in present-day Australian society can trace their origins to convict ancestors who rose above their humble origins. However, during the transportation era and for many years after, previous convicts and their descendants tended to hide their former criminal background, sometimes resulting in distorted or completely missing family history. Extensive and comprehensive records kept on every individual are now able to fill in the gaps; and, in fact, many family historians can find out more about their convict ancestors than they can about those who arrived in Australia as free settlers.
211:
43:
246:). Most of the punishments at this time were severe, with the death penalty (hanging) applied for fairly minor crimes. However, this ultimate sentence was often commuted to a lesser one, commonly for transportation (for 7 or 14 years, or for life) to the colonies. Thus, in the British context, the term "convict" has come to refer in particular to those criminals transported overseas.
261:, as cheap labour. The transportation of convicts from the United Kingdom began around 1615 and became increasingly common in the following years. Initially most people were transported to North America or the West Indies, but from 1718 onwards transportation was entirely to North America. The arrangements ceased when the
272:
in 1787, arriving in Botany Bay, then Sydney Cove, in
January 1788. From the very start of European settlement convicts were used as indentured labourers in five out of the six colonies. Many were used on public works, but a significant number were "assigned" to private individuals as domestic
242:
in the 18th and early 19th century. Their crimes would today be regarded as petty misdemeanors (stealing small items or food), or are no longer in the criminal code (
238:
The particular use of the term "convict" in the
English-speaking world was to describe the huge numbers of criminals, both male and female, who clogged British
420:
401:
226:
268:
The
British Government then looked to the newly discovered east coast of Australia to use as a penal colony. Convicts were transported to
199:
126:
445:
64:
273:
servants, rural workers, etc. Transportation was progressively abolished from 1853, eventually ceasing altogether in 1868.
440:
425:
107:
79:
262:
53:
450:
86:
60:
31:
265:
meant it was no longer possible for the United
Kingdom to send convicts to what had become the United States.
195:
93:
344:
354:
250:
75:
258:
339:
254:
184:
243:
397:
308:
172:
30:
This article is about the term "convict" when applied to an individual. For other uses, see
349:
219:
281:
210:
152:
434:
334:
312:
304:
202:
governments may limit the time for or before which a former convict may be employed.
191:
100:
382:
Webster's New World
Dictionary of the American Language, p. 292 (2d Coll. Ed. 1978).
373:
Webster's New World
Dictionary of the American Language, p. 311 (2d Coll. Ed. 1978).
292:
144:
42:
329:
215:
277:
269:
249:
Initially many
British convicts were sent to the American colonies, such as
17:
394:
A Merciless Place. The Lost Story of
Britain's Convict Disaster in Africa
175:
for former convicts, especially those recently released from prison, is "
164:
231:
198:, for instance, will not, in general, employ an ex-convict, while some
324:
300:
288:
190:
The label of "ex-convict" usually has lifelong implications, such as
160:
296:
225:
209:
168:
156:
148:
239:
276:
In
Australia, convicts have come to be key figures of cultural
36:
27:
Person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court
67:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
194:or reduced opportunities for employment. The
8:
426:Convict Transportation Registers database
127:Learn how and when to remove this message
187:tend not to be described as "convicts".
366:
183:"). Persons convicted and sentenced to
163:". Convicts are often also known as "
159:" or "a person serving a sentence in
7:
65:adding citations to reliable sources
421:Convict life - State Library of NSW
396:. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
287:British convicts were also sent to
230:Convicts and guards on the road to
25:
244:such as being in unresolved debt
41:
196:federal government of Australia
52:needs additional citations for
1:
171:term "con", while a common
467:
392:Christopher, Emma (2011).
263:American Revolutionary War
29:
167:" or "inmates" or by the
32:Convict (disambiguation)
446:Prisoners and detainees
185:non-custodial sentences
303:also sent convicts to
235:
223:
345:Convicts in Australia
229:
213:
355:Penal transportation
61:improve this article
441:Criminals by status
200:state and territory
143:is "a person found
340:Convict assignment
236:
224:
403:978-0-19-969593-5
137:
136:
129:
111:
16:(Redirected from
458:
451:Forced migration
408:
407:
389:
383:
380:
374:
371:
206:Historical usage
132:
125:
121:
118:
112:
110:
69:
45:
37:
21:
466:
465:
461:
460:
459:
457:
456:
455:
431:
430:
417:
412:
411:
404:
391:
390:
386:
381:
377:
372:
368:
363:
350:Older prisoners
325:Convicted felon
321:
220:New South Wales
208:
133:
122:
116:
113:
70:
68:
58:
46:
35:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
464:
462:
454:
453:
448:
443:
433:
432:
429:
428:
423:
416:
415:External links
413:
410:
409:
402:
384:
375:
365:
364:
362:
359:
358:
357:
352:
347:
342:
337:
332:
327:
320:
317:
309:Devil's Island
282:historiography
207:
204:
135:
134:
49:
47:
40:
26:
24:
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
463:
452:
449:
447:
444:
442:
439:
438:
436:
427:
424:
422:
419:
418:
414:
405:
399:
395:
388:
385:
379:
376:
370:
367:
360:
356:
353:
351:
348:
346:
343:
341:
338:
336:
335:Convict lease
333:
331:
328:
326:
323:
322:
318:
316:
314:
313:French Guiana
310:
306:
305:New Caledonia
302:
298:
294:
290:
285:
283:
279:
274:
271:
266:
264:
260:
256:
252:
247:
245:
241:
233:
228:
221:
217:
212:
205:
203:
201:
197:
193:
192:social stigma
188:
186:
182:
178:
174:
170:
166:
162:
158:
154:
150:
146:
142:
131:
128:
120:
109:
106:
102:
99:
95:
92:
88:
85:
81:
78: –
77:
73:
72:Find sources:
66:
62:
56:
55:
50:This article
48:
44:
39:
38:
33:
19:
393:
387:
378:
369:
286:
275:
267:
248:
237:
214:Convicts at
189:
180:
176:
140:
138:
123:
117:January 2020
114:
104:
97:
90:
83:
71:
59:Please help
54:verification
51:
293:West Africa
435:Categories
330:Conviction
216:Botany Bay
181:ex-convict
87:newspapers
18:Ex-convict
278:mythology
270:Australia
165:prisoners
153:sentenced
76:"Convict"
319:See also
255:Virginia
251:Maryland
307:and to
259:Georgia
232:Siberia
141:convict
101:scholar
400:
301:France
295:, and
289:Canada
257:, and
234:, 1845
222:, 1789
177:ex-con
161:prison
145:guilty
103:
96:
89:
82:
74:
361:Notes
297:India
240:gaols
173:label
169:slang
157:court
155:by a
149:crime
147:of a
108:JSTOR
94:books
398:ISBN
280:and
179:" ("
151:and
80:news
311:in
63:by
437::
315:.
299:.
291:,
253:,
218:,
139:A
406:.
130:)
124:(
119:)
115:(
105:·
98:·
91:·
84:·
57:.
34:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
