Granting their freedom

Ticket of Leave
After serving a stipulated portion of their sentences, convicts could apply for a Ticket of Leave (TOL). If a Ticket of Leave was granted, the convict would be handed a document which allowed convicts to work and live within a given district of the colony before their sentence was over or were given an Absolute Pardon. 

With a TOL, convicts could be self-employed or hire themselves out. This would allow them to earn money, which again allowed them to buy their own property. If they were to move to another district, or got work that required travelling they needed permission and a “passport”. This too was applied for through their masters to the Bench Magistrates. 

At first TOL’s were issued out to those who seemed to provide for themselves, so the Government could save money not having to provide for them. Later they were used as a reward for good behaviour, and provided order in the colony.

- Attending church and reporting to the Magistrate when required was an obligation.  The ticket could be withdrawn for misbehaving.

Conditional Pardon 
A Conditional Pardon freed the convict, and was granted only on the condition that the convict was never to return to Britain again. The Conditional Pardon was a document which stated the convicts name, ship and date of arrival, offence, physical description, etc., and was sent to England. A copy of the document was given to the convict and another remained in Australia.

Absolute Pardon 
An Absolute Pardon cleared convicts of all charges, and they were free to return to Britain. Convicts could earn such a pardon, but the Governor could grant one for several reasons. An Absolute Pardon recorded name, date of pardon, convict number, etc.

Certificate of Freedom  
A Certificate of Freedom was given to convicts once they had served their sentence. This certificate was introduced in 1810 and recorded name, ship, date of arrival, offence, date of finished sentence, etc.

Once emancipated, either through an Absolute Pardon or a Certificate of Freedom, convicts were free to return home to Britain if they chose to. Though most convicts never did.

As far as Britain was concerned, the idea with transportation was to get rid of criminals and to populate the colony. And after serving 7, 14 or 21 years most convicts did not want to leave as Australia offered much better opportunities. And even if they wished to leave, most could not afford the fare back; Only the rich or those who had family back in Britain providing for them could. Instead they stayed in Australia where they married, found work, bought property and lived life as free convicts in the colony.  

The men would go into work such as whaling, fishing, road construction and farming, being a blacksmith, gold-mining. Women would work in the Female Factory, processing food, as paid servants, caring. Also many women, who either had not found a man, or had lost her husband for whatever reason, would go into prostitution to survive. Most freed convicts were poor people and were living rough even after they had their freedom granted.

- Lise, NKI Nettstudent