In 1801, most convicts were transported to the Australian colonies of New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania). The journey by ship was long and arduous, lasting several months and often resulting in disease and death.
2. Penal labour
Upon arrival in the colonies, convicts were typically assigned to penal labour, which could include:
• Road construction
• Logging
• Farming
• Mining
• Public works
Convict labour was essential to the development of the Australian colonies, but it was also brutal and exploitative. Convicts were often worked to the point of exhaustion and subjected to harsh punishments for any disobedience.
3. Living conditions
The living conditions of convicts were generally poor. They were housed in crowded and unsanitary barracks or hulks (old ships converted into prisons). The food was often inadequate and medical care was often non-existent.
4. Discipline
Discipline was maintained in the convict colonies through a system of punishment that included:
• Flogging
• Solitary confinement
• Shackling
• Transportation to a harsher penal settlement
Punishment was often severe and arbitrary, and it could be inflicted for even minor offences.
5. Emancipation
Convicts who served their sentences or were granted conditional pardons could eventually earn emancipation. This gave them the right to live freely in the colony, but it did not restore their full civil rights.
Emancipists often faced prejudice and discrimination from free settlers, and it could be difficult for them to find employment or start a new life.
6. Death
A significant number of convicts died in the penal colonies. The causes of death included disease, malnutrition, exposure, and the harsh treatment of the penal system.