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Tag Archives: Criminal Justice System – England

Convict Voyages: Convict Attitudes toward Transportation

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Note: This post is part of a series on Convict Transportation to the American colonies. Convict transportation was conceived as a relatively easy means of emptying British prisons and punishing repeat petty criminals without having to resort to a death sentence. Most convicted criminals facing potential execution were probably relieved to receive a reprieve from […]

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Convict Voyages: Starting the Journey in Newgate Prison

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Note: This post is part of a series on Convict Transportation to the American colonies. Convicted criminals who were tried at the Old Bailey in London and received a sentence of transportation began their journey to the American colonies in the notorious Newgate Prison. Like those sentenced to transportation at other prisons, they waited for […]

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The Need for a New Punishment: The Sentencing of Criminals after 1718

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Note: This post is part of a series on Convict Transportation to the American colonies. With the passage of the Transportation Act in 1718, Britain became the only European country after 1700 to transport convicts as part of a major governmental policy. The sentence of transportation was popular among judges and quickly became the preferred […]

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The Need for a New Punishment: The Transportation Act of 1718

Friday, October 24, 2008

Note: This post is part of a series on Convict Transportation to the American colonies. As stories of crime and criminals captured the attention of the eighteenth-century reading public and English jails continued to fill beyond capacity, the need to find a new form of institutionalized punishment grew. Citing the fact that current punishments had […]

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The Need for a New Punishment: Early Uses of Convict Transportation

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Note: This post is part of a series on Convict Transportation to the American colonies. Before 1718, England’s criminal justice system provided only two sentencing options for criminals convicted of capital crimes: “Benefit of Clergy” for first-time offenders, which sent criminals back out on the streets after receiving some form of corporal punishment, or death. […]

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