A convict, after conviction, generally becomes some sort of prisoner. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences do not usually bear the disparagement of the label "convict".

Historically, particularly in Australia, the convict became a stock figure of mythology, and convicts/ex-convicts as a class became an important social group as Australian colonies like New South Wales and Tasmania made the transition from penal colonies to free and democratic societies during the 19th century.