Vol. 1, Issue 13, Part A (2015)

Abstract
Increased crime due to various social changes in sixteenth and seventieth centuries of Europe especially in England put a strain on the already insufficient Penal Institutions. In modern period, due to geographical explorations, emergence of colonialism and growing economic requirements of metropolis gave birth to an organized form of transportation which led to establishment of penal colonies in various parts of the world. Transportation served dual purpose of the State. On one side, the convict is no longer threat to the State as he is transported, thereby reducing the amount of expenditure that was spent on prisons in both metropolis and colonies and on the other side, the transported convicts could be used to ‘develop’ the new lands. In fact, transportation became a lucrative economic policy of colonial masters. In this paper, an attempt has been made to find out the reasons for the birth of convict transportation. The transportation of convicts and indentured labour from colonial India to various places in Southeast Asia, Mauritius, and Myanmar etc. has been studied. The paper concludes by describing about the abandonment of transportation of India convicts to Southeast Asia and subsequent establishment of the Penal Settlement of Andamans. To write this paper, primary sources in the inform of colonial documents available in library of Cellular Jail, Port Blair and archives, Port Blair have been taken. Apart from primary resources, secondary literature and information from various websites also helped to bring out this research paper.