A convict who kept to the conditions of his ticket-of-leave until he had finished half of the time he was supposed to be in gaol , was given a conditional pardon . This meant they were no longer a convict , and could do everything but leave the colony . A convict who observed the conditions of his ticket-of-leave until the completion of one half of his sentence was entitled to a conditional pardon , which removed all restrictions except the right to leave the colony .