The Status Civilisation - Robert Sheckley

The Status Civilisation (novella) by Robert Sheckley Will Barrent had no memory of his crime . . . but he found himself shipped across space to a brutal prison-planet. On Omega, his only chance to advance himself -- and stay alive -- is to commit an endless series of violent crimes. The average inmate's life expectancy from time of arrival is three years. Can Barrett survive, escape, and return to Earth to clear his name? The Status Civilization was first published as "Omega!" in the August and September 1960 issues of Amazing Science Fiction Stories.