not fall into either of these two categories of correction were much more civilized by comparison. "Banishment," for example, consisted of forcing the wrongdoer to leave the country and scene of his criminal activities for a prescribed period. While this period was sometimes life, it was as often as not just a matter of a few years. This served to adequately remove the criminal from the general population (thereby serving the same purpose as execution or imprisonment) without resorting to the barbarism of hangings or corporal punishments. Since, in many cases, the banished individuals chose to relocate permanently, they never returned to the places of their crimes. This was undoubtedly a good thing for the criminals, the general public and those who might have been victimized by having criminals present in their midst (Morison, 1965).
A similar concept was employed in Europe during the era of colonialism, especially in the British Empire. This system of forced banishment was known as "transportation." Through this system, individuals found guilty of crimes would be sentenced to banishment from England for anywhere from a few years to life, but with their place of banishment specified in their legal papers of conviction. In most cases, this meant such new English colonies as Australia or New Zealand, where the wrongdoers were intended to serve a good purpose: the creation of colonies. The sentences of these individuals varied. Some were merely forced to live in the emerging settlements and contribute to the local economy and work force. Others were sentenced to prison colonies within these settlements, to contribute to the local work force as de facto slave labor. Those in the latter category were permitted, however, to remain in these colonial settlements after their release from prison, to live as free citizens. Since the expanding economies of the new settlements provided a much greater opportunity for honest advance...