answersLogoWhite

0

Don't know if the first person sent to prison is recorded but there are some facts dealing with the first execution. The first recorded execution in the new colonies was that of Captain George Kendall in the Jamestown colony of Virginia in 1608. Kendall was executed for being a spy for Spain.

The Pilgrims committed adultery (Hawthorne's ''Scarlet Letter''); the court records indicate there were many accusations of witchcraft and defamation of character. There was domestic violence and it was considered a crime to abuse a parent. Since the Pilgrims enjoyed a drink of alcohol now and then, there were probably fights and theft.

According to a timeline on the HistoryNet, in 1630, John Billington, one of the original Pilgrims who came over on the Mayflower, became the first person in the American colonies hanged for murder.

http://www.thehistorynet.com/

Murder in America, by Roger Lane, is a history of murder in America going back to colonial times.

User Avatar

Wiki User

15y ago

What else can I help you with?