There have been significant changes in historical perceptions of convicts. Assessments of the morality of the convicts have been more integrally tied to debates about Australian national character than crime, influencing historians to turn their attention to uncovering the true nature of white Australia's convict forebears. But the obsession of so many contributors to this debate with the moral character of the convicts has clearly impoverished the analysis of the origins of the convicts. This has diverted attention from the diversity of convict experience, the effects of policing practices in the construction of criminal groups, the discursive construction of the criminal class, and the role of crime within the political economy of working class life. These questions require more careful consideration for understanding of the social and cultural origins of Australia's convicts. Women convicts and the death penalty are also addressed. 31 notes, 6 tables, 149 references, and bibliography