Ticket of leave
Encyclopedia
A ticket of leave was a document of parole
issued to convicts who had shown they could now be trusted with some freedoms. Originally the ticket was issued in Britain and later adopted by the United States, Canada and Ireland.
from the United Kingdom
to Australia, and subsequently other colonies, who had served a period of probation
and shown by their good behaviour that they could be allowed certain freedoms
. Once granted a ticket of leave, a convict was permitted to seek employment
within a specified district but could not leave the district without the permission of the government or the district's resident magistrate
. Each change of employer or district was recorded on the ticket.
Originally the "ticket of leave" could be given with no relation to any period of the sentence being served. Starting in 1811 a concept of serving some term in prison first was established and in 1821 specific terms were added to the length prisoners sentence that must be first served before a ticket was to be allowed. These were 4 years served for a 7 year sentence, 6 years of a 14 year sentence and a life sentence meant that 8 years must be served before the "ticket" could be considered.
Ticket-of-leave men were permitted to marry or to bring their families from Britain, and to acquire property, but they were not permitted to carry firearm
s or board a ship
. They were often required to repay the cost of their passage to the colony
.
A convict who observed the conditions of his ticket-of-leave until the completion of one half of his sentence was entitled to a conditional pardon
, which removed all restrictions except the right to leave the colony. Convicts who did not observe the conditions of their ticket could be arrest
ed without warrant, tried without recourse to the Supreme Court, and would forfeit their property.
The ticket of leave had to be renewed annually, and those with one had to attend muster and church services.
The ticket itself was a highly detailed document listing the place and year the convict was tried, the name of the ship in which he or she was transported, and the length of the sentence. There was also a detailed physical description of the convict, along with year of birth, former occupation and "native place".
In the Second World War the "Ticket of leave" was a colloquial name given to the papers allowing a soldier to take leave form active service.
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
issued to convicts who had shown they could now be trusted with some freedoms. Originally the ticket was issued in Britain and later adopted by the United States, Canada and Ireland.
Australian convicts
The ticket system began in 1853 when prisoners transportedPenal transportation
Transportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to Australia, and subsequently other colonies, who had served a period of probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
and shown by their good behaviour that they could be allowed certain freedoms
Freedom (political)
Political freedom is a central philosophy in Western history and political thought, and one of the most important features of democratic societies...
. Once granted a ticket of leave, a convict was permitted to seek employment
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
within a specified district but could not leave the district without the permission of the government or the district's resident magistrate
Resident Magistrate
A resident magistrate is a title for magistrates used in certain parts of the world, that were, or are, governed by the British. Sometimes abbreviated as RM, it refers to suitably qualified personnel - notably well versed in the law - brought into an area from outside as the local magistrate,...
. Each change of employer or district was recorded on the ticket.
Originally the "ticket of leave" could be given with no relation to any period of the sentence being served. Starting in 1811 a concept of serving some term in prison first was established and in 1821 specific terms were added to the length prisoners sentence that must be first served before a ticket was to be allowed. These were 4 years served for a 7 year sentence, 6 years of a 14 year sentence and a life sentence meant that 8 years must be served before the "ticket" could be considered.
Ticket-of-leave men were permitted to marry or to bring their families from Britain, and to acquire property, but they were not permitted to carry firearm
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
s or board a ship
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
. They were often required to repay the cost of their passage to the colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
.
A convict who observed the conditions of his ticket-of-leave until the completion of one half of his sentence was entitled to a conditional pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
, which removed all restrictions except the right to leave the colony. Convicts who did not observe the conditions of their ticket could be arrest
Arrest
An arrest is the act of depriving a person of his or her liberty usually in relation to the purported investigation and prevention of crime and presenting into the criminal justice system or harm to oneself or others...
ed without warrant, tried without recourse to the Supreme Court, and would forfeit their property.
The ticket of leave had to be renewed annually, and those with one had to attend muster and church services.
The ticket itself was a highly detailed document listing the place and year the convict was tried, the name of the ship in which he or she was transported, and the length of the sentence. There was also a detailed physical description of the convict, along with year of birth, former occupation and "native place".
British military
Soldiers serving in the British military during the First World War were known as "Tickets" and were seen as the lowest of the low, looked down upon by even the most reluctant of volunteers.In the Second World War the "Ticket of leave" was a colloquial name given to the papers allowing a soldier to take leave form active service.