Life Courses of Young Convicts Transported to Van Diemen's Land - (History of Crime, Deviance and Punishment) by Emma D Watkins (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Drawing on digital criminal records, this book traces the life courses of young convicts who were sentenced at the Old Bailey and transported to Van Diemen's Land in the early 19th century. It explores the everyday lives of the convicts pre- and post-transportation, focusing on their crimes, punishments, education, employment and family life right up to their deaths.

Emma D. Watkins contextualizes these young convicts within the punishment system, economy and culture that they were thrust into by their forced movement to Australia. This allows an understanding of the factors which determined their chances of achieving a 'settled life' away from crime in the colony.

Packed with case studies offering vivid accounts of the offenders' lives, Life Courses of Young Convicts Transported to Van Diemen's Land makes an important contribution to the history of transportation, social history and Australian history.

Review Quotes

This book is a valuable contribution to the literature on penal transportation, not only because it investigates an important sub-group of transported convicts but more especially because it takes a thorough life-course approach. By considering these individuals' lives in context, we can begin to understand how their experiences in the penal system in youth shaped their adulthood.
Family and Community History

Until now we have lacked a good history of the penal transportation of boys to Van Diemen's Land. The life-course approach adopted here shows us how transportation affected the boys sent to Australia, and puts their experiences within the perspective of the whole of their post-conviction lives.
Barry Godfrey, Professor of Social Justice, University of Liverpool, UK

About the Author

Emma D. Watkins is a Lecturer in Criminology at Middlesex University, UK.