Prisoners Staff and prisoners of Fremantle Prison

1 prisoners

1.1 convicts
1.2 19th century prisoners
1.3 20th century prisoners

prisoners
convicts

convicts introduced western australia 3 main purposes: inexpensive labour, additional labour, , injection of british government spending local economy. during initial years of transportation, convicts young, rural background, , of character, having committed minor offences – potential future colonists, after sentence had been served. 1860s majority older, more serious offenders urban areas, , final group of convicts, arriving in january 1868 on hougoumont, included sixty-two fenians, political prisoners considered difficult , dangerous .

19th century prisoners

following transfer of fremantle prison local control in 1886, became western australia s primary prison. though long term locally sentenced prisoners had been imprisoned there since 1858, in late 1880s , 1890s number of prisoners swelled dramatically. increase predominately comprised prisoners serving shorter sentences of under 3 months. @ turn of century, majority of prisoners white australian or european men, working class, below age of forty years , serving short sentences minor offences . however, there diversity in prisoner population: there chinese , other asian prisoners, small number of aboriginal men, eighty juveniles, range of people low social status – paupers, deaf mutes, retarded , vagrants, lunatics , persons of weak intellect . poverty, drunkenness, behavioural issues, , recidivism major contributing factors in imprisonment minor offences.

20th century prisoners

the number of prisoners in 1897 379, , inspector of prisons james roe viewed prison inconveniently full ; despite large expansion of prison system, problem of overcrowding remained throughout 20th century. did western australia s high incarceration rate relative rest of australia. nature of prisoners changed, 3 times proportion of 16- 19-year-olds in 1984 compared 1898, , growing over-representation of aboriginal prisoners half prison population. sentences increased in length, such in 1984 more 80% of inmates serving more year. in 1970s , 1980s, there increasing number of prisoners committed violent crimes, still minority of population. both staff , prisoners, however, perceived notable increase in violence during these years, coinciding rise of illegal drugs in prison, , of sentences drug-related offences.

cite error: there <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on page, references not show without {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see page).