How Effective was the Forced Transportation of Criminals to Australia as a Legal Punishment?

In 1788, the First Fleet arrived in what would later be known as Sydney Harbour, marking the beginning of Australia’s history as a penal colony. Britain’s gaols were flooding with prisoners, causing a crisis with soaring rates of crime. This article delves into the forms of punishment within this period of Georgian British history, comparing these to the transportation of prisoners to Australia. Benjamin Fradley’s insightful piece uses this comparison to evaluate whether transportation was truly successful as a form of punishment, or whether it was simply a necessary alternative to other, more barbaric practices.
AUTHOR BENJAMIN FRADLEY