A convict is a person that has been convicted of a crime. They generally become some sort of prisoner after a conviction. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences usually are not termed "convicts."

Historical usage

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A particular use of the term in the English-speaking world is to refer to the huge numbers of petty criminals which clogged British gaols in the 18th and early 19th century. Initially many were sent to the American colonies as cheap labour, but the War of Independence brought that solution to an end.

British convicts were not transported to the Province of Georgia between 1733 and the American revolution. After this, convicts could no longer be transported to America and Britain looked to the newly discovered east coast of Australia to use as a penal colony. Convicts were transported to Australia in 1788 from the very start of European settlement and were used as labourers in five out of the six major colonies. Transportation was eventually abolished in 1868. In Australia, convicts have come to be key figures of social and cultural mythology and historiography. British convicts were also sent to Canada, India, and New Zealand. France also sent convicts to French Guiana and New Caledonia. Russian criminals that were shipped to Siberia can arguably be regarded as convicts.

See also

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• Convictism in Australia
• Penal transportation
• Convict lease

Forced migration | 服役囚