Crossword Genius

Lawless relatives end up getting harsh punishment (5,9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

penal servitude

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'harsh punishment' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'lawless relatives end up' is the wordplay.
'lawless' is an anagram indicator.
'relatives'+'end'+'up'='relativesendup'
'relativesendup' with letters rearranged gives 'PENAL SERVITUDE'.

'getting' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for penal servitude that I've seen is " Imprisonment with hard labour".)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.
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