Iron in the Blood

For many of the convicts sent to Australian penal settlements in the nineteenth century, the choice was simple: a life of unbearable misery, or death. The prison settlements were some of the most brutal places in the world, and many of the commandants who ran them were sadistic tyrants. Only a few of those in charge dared to try a more humane approach.
This unflinching depiction of one of the darkest sides to Australia’s history raises many questions about crime and punishment, and the use and abuse of power.