It is commonly reported that the colonization of Australia was driven by the need to address overcrowding in the British prison system; however, it was simply not economically viable to transport convicts half way around the world for this reason alone. Many convicts were either skilled tradesmen or farmers who had been convicted for trivial crimes and were sentenced to seven years, the time required to set up the infrastructure for the new colony. Convicts were often given pardons prior to or on completion of their sentences and were allocated parcels of land to farm.