From prison hulks to penalties and sentences in Queensland: lessons learned or history repeated?

Understanding the history of crime and punishment allows a better contextual knowledge of current issues in sentencing. This article explores the background to modern sentencing law in Queensland, looking at the history of punishment in Britain, in particular what led to transportation, and Queensland's history of crime and punishment as a colony. It argues that the harsh beginnings of Queensland as a penal colony were significant in the development of criminal law in that State. A number of underlying themes recur, including law and order concerns and prison overcrowding, which have not abated in modern times.