Industrial Revolution L7 Flashcards
What minor crimes could people get locked up for?
People were often locked up for relatively minor crimes such as stealing a couple of hens or a loaf of bread.
Where were who didn’t get sent to prisons go?
Some prisoners were sent away to ‘penal colonies’, such as Gibraltar or Australia. This was called transportation.
What is transportation (punishment)?
When criminals were sent away to penal colonies in another country.
From what year were convicts were sent to the British colonies in America to work instead of being executed?
From 1654 some convicts were sent to the British colonies in America to work instead of being executed.
Why did convicts stop getting sent British colonies in America to work?
The outbreak of the wars of independence stopped convicts from being transported.
When did transportation begin in Australia?
Transportation to Australia began in 1787.
What happened to convicts if they disobeyed the rules?
Convicts were whipped if they disobeyed rules.
What would happen to some convicts if they were good?
If convicts were good, some convicts could secure early release after four years through a ticket-of-leave.
What did many convicts after completing there sentence and why?
Once free, many settled in Australia and did not return home. This was partly because few could afford to pay for the return journey.
When and why was transportation rare in Australia?
Transportation to Australia was rare after 1840 because the people who had settled there began to rebel against the country being used to get rid of British criminals
How many prisons were privately owned?
Nearly half the prisons were privately owned and their owners aimed to make a profit out of them
What were the conditions like in the prisons?
The conditions were dreadful in the prisons
Give 3 of the horrible conditions in the prisons?
- Prisons were usually very dirty places full of rats, lice and fleas.
- Prisoners were fed basic foods such as porridge and bread
- Often there was no proper water supply and so the water they were given to drink often made them sick
How many prisoners died from disease each year?
About a quarter of the prisoners died each year from disease.
What was a common disease in the prisons?
Typhus was so common that people called it ‘gaol fever’
