The accepted wisdom of the upper and ruling classes in 18th century England was that criminals were inherently defective. Thus, they could not be rehabilitated and simply required separation from the genetically pure and law-abiding citizens. Accordingly, lawbreakers had to be imprisoned or exiled. The second choice was far cheaper. With the American victory in the Revolutionary War, transgressors could no longer be shipped off across the Atlantic; hence, the English looked for a prison colony much more gruesome and much further away.
The First Fleet
Captain Arthur Phillip, a tough but fair career naval officer, was charged with setting up the first penal colony in Australia. On his first voyage, 736 convicts were chained beneath the deck during the entire hellish six-month voyage. The first voyage claimed the lives of nearly 10 percent of the prisoners.
The First Fleet was the 11 ships that departed from Portsmouth, England, on 13 May 1787 to found the penal colony that became the first European settlement in Australia. The Fleet consisted of two Royal Navy vessels, three store ships and six convict transports, carrying between 1,000 and 1,500 convicts, marines, seamen, civil officers and free people (accounts differ on the numbers), and a large quantity of stores. From England, the Fleet sailed southwest to Rio de Janeiro, then east to Cape Town and via the Great Southern Ocean to Botany Bay, arriving over the period of 18 to 20 January 1788, taking 250 to 252 days from departure to final arrival.
On later trips, up to a third of the unwilling passengers died on the way. Over the next 60 years, approximately 50,000 criminals were transported from Great Britain to the “land down under,” in one of the strangest episodes in criminal-justice history.
These were not hardened criminals by any measure; only a small minority were transported for violent offenses. Among the first group was a 70-year-old woman who had stolen cheese to eat.
Most convicts in Australia had an extremely tough life. The guards who volunteered for duty in Australia seemed to be driven by exceptional sadism. Even small violations of the rules could resulted in a punishment of 100 lashes by the cat o’nine tails. It was said that blood was usually drawn after five lashes and convicts ended up walking home with their boots filled with their own blood–that is, if they were able to walk at all (source).
No Shame, No Blame
Modern day Australians are fully aware of the rough and rude beginnings of their colony. But there is no shame.
Treasury Wine Estate decided to label a new wine it was releasing as “19 Crimes,” inspired by 19 convicts sent to Australia in the late 1700s who became colonists.
Using the Living Wine Labels app, the mugshots on the labels come alive, telling the tale of their crimes and their journey. The “arresting looking labels,” Terry said (pun intended), created a “phenomenal” response from retailers when it was introduced in July, 2017.
The app has been downloaded more than 1.3 million times. More than 200,000 videos have appeared across social media.
19 Crimes, launched in 2014, sold 1 million cases last year, partly on its strong story and the success of the apps. In the subway of Sydney, we found ads proudly displaying mugshots and crimes associated with the 19.
The Aussies have a great sense of humor. Instead of covering up their historical past, they celebrate it with a smile. Who can really object when convicted convicts turn into hardworking colonists?