Original: Convict Voyages (1): Overview, by Anthony Vaver, Early American Crime, January 6, 2009 In the 16th century in England, the state first tried to give housing to vagrants instead of punishing them, by introducing bridewells to take vagrants and train them for a profession.
Simplified: In the sixteenth century in England, the state first tried to give housing to vagrants instead of punishing them.