Furthermore, during his reign, James I introduced transportation to North America as a new form of punishment. Prisoners who were brought over to America were they carried out tough manual labour for a certain period of time. Those who were transported over normally served for a time period of fourteen years. Those who had committed less severe crimes served for a period of seven years.

When it came to the end of the term of service, people often did not have the money to return to home and spent the rest of their lives away from England. The question is why did James I introduced such a policy:

An effective option for deterrence
England wanted permanent colonies in North America this time - criminals populated and worked the land in these colonies
The country lacked an extensive prison system
Rehabilitation (helping individuals return to normal pattern of life after crime) - criminals had a chance to reflect on their past far away from home
Criminals were far away from the conditions that drew them to a life of crime in the first place
Living in North America would be a new start to a life free of crime

Many historians estimate roughly between 50,000-80,000 people were transported to America up until 1770. Men, women and children all made their way across. Further, James I during his reign allowed the arrest of vagabond children in London in order for them to be sent to North America. The children sent over were termed 'duty boys' (girls were sent over too). Authorities believed children could begin a new life, however, many of them died on the journey over or when attempting to settle into colonies.

Law Enforcement and Punishment