Final answer:
Convicts signed labor contracts upon arriving in America to pay off their passage, differing from indentured servants who arranged contracts before departure.
Step-by-step explanation:
Unlike indentured servants, convicts signed labor contracts only after they arrived in America and promised to pay the costs of their passage soon after they arrived. While indentured servants generally made contracts before embarking to the colonies and received various forms of compensation like food, clothing, and eventually freedom dues, including land in some cases after their period of servitude, convicts often found themselves working off their debts upon arrival. This was a part of a penal system that provided labor in the colonies, especially after the abolition of slavery, where individuals found guilty of crimes could be required to perform labor as part of their sentence.