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Tag Archives: Prisons and Jails

The American Malefactor’s Dictionary: air and exercise

Monday, November 30, 2009

air and exercise – 1. a short term of imprisonment, hence “two stretches of air and exercise” means two years in prison; 2. working in the stone quarry at Blackwell’s Island or at Sing Sing. In England, air and exercise originally referred to someone being whipped at the cart’s tail or, as it was more […]

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The End of Convict Transportation: Convict Hulks

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Note: This post is part of a series on Convict Transportation to the American colonies. The American Revolution ended the British practice of transporting convicts to the American colonies and threw Great Britain’s criminal justice system into chaos. With no place to send its convicted felons, and without a back-up plan in place, England suddenly […]

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Transported Convicts in the New World: Runaways

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Note: This post is part of a series on Convict Transportation to the American colonies. Lots of convict servants tried to run away from their owners in an attempt to escape harsh treatment from them or to regain their freedom and possibly return to Great Britain, or both. Almost as soon as the practice of […]

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Transported Convicts in the New World: Committing Crime in America

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Note: This post is part of a series on Convict Transportation to the American colonies. On July 15, 1751 the New-York Gazette, or Weekly Post-Boy reported that Onesiphorus Lucas was executed in Annapolis in a follow-up to a newspaper story that appeared two weeks earlier about how Lucas was found guilty of burglary and sentenced […]

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EAC Places and Events: The Old New-Gate Prison in East Granby, CT

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

If the 50-degree climate of the abandoned copper mine doesn’t make you shiver, the thought that these underground tunnels once served as sleeping quarters for convicted criminals will. The Old New-Gate Prison and Copper Mine, a National Historic Landmark and State Archaeological Preserve in East Granby, CT, provides a fun, educational journey back to early […]

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