diff --git a/Web/Scotty.hs b/Web/Scotty.hs
--- a/Web/Scotty.hs
+++ b/Web/Scotty.hs
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
       --
       -- | Note: only one of these should be present in any given route
       -- definition, as they completely replace the current 'Response' body.
-    , text, html, file, json, stream, source, raw
+    , text, html, file, json, stream, raw
       -- ** Exceptions
     , raise, rescue, next, defaultHandler
       -- * Parsing Parameters
@@ -35,14 +35,10 @@
 
 -- With the exception of this, everything else better just import types.
 import qualified Web.Scotty.Trans as Trans
-import qualified Web.Scotty.Action as Action -- for 'source', to avoid deprecation warning on Trans.source
 
-import Blaze.ByteString.Builder (Builder)
-
 import Data.Aeson (FromJSON, ToJSON)
 import Data.ByteString.Lazy.Char8 (ByteString)
 import Data.Text.Lazy (Text)
-import Data.Conduit (Flush, Source)
 
 import Network.HTTP.Types (Status, StdMethod)
 import Network.Wai (Application, Middleware, Request, StreamingBody)
@@ -175,12 +171,12 @@
 setHeader = Trans.setHeader
 
 -- | Set the body of the response to the given 'Text' value. Also sets \"Content-Type\"
--- header to \"text/plain\".
+-- header to \"text/plain; charset=utf-8\".
 text :: Text -> ActionM ()
 text = Trans.text
 
 -- | Set the body of the response to the given 'Text' value. Also sets \"Content-Type\"
--- header to \"text/html\".
+-- header to \"text/html; charset=utf-8\".
 html :: Text -> ActionM ()
 html = Trans.html
 
@@ -190,7 +186,7 @@
 file = Trans.file
 
 -- | Set the body of the response to the JSON encoding of the given value. Also sets \"Content-Type\"
--- header to \"application/json\".
+-- header to \"application/json; charset=utf-8\".
 json :: ToJSON a => a -> ActionM ()
 json = Trans.json
 
@@ -199,13 +195,6 @@
 -- own with 'setHeader'.
 stream :: StreamingBody -> ActionM ()
 stream = Trans.stream
-
--- | Set the body of the response to a Source. Doesn't set the
--- \"Content-Type\" header, so you probably want to do that on your
--- own with 'setHeader'.
-source :: Source IO (Flush Builder) -> ActionM ()
-source = Action.source
-{-# DEPRECATED source "Use 'stream' instead. This will be removed in the next release." #-}
 
 -- | Set the body of the response to the given 'BL.ByteString' value. Doesn't set the
 -- \"Content-Type\" header, so you probably want to do that on your own with 'setHeader'.
diff --git a/Web/Scotty/Action.hs b/Web/Scotty/Action.hs
--- a/Web/Scotty/Action.hs
+++ b/Web/Scotty/Action.hs
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@
     , setHeader
     , status
     , stream
-    , source    -- Deprecated
     , text
     , Param
     , Parsable(..)
@@ -29,7 +28,7 @@
     , runAction
     ) where
 
-import           Blaze.ByteString.Builder (Builder, fromLazyByteString)
+import           Blaze.ByteString.Builder (fromLazyByteString)
 
 #if MIN_VERSION_mtl(2,2,1)
 import           Control.Monad.Except
@@ -43,8 +42,6 @@
 import qualified Data.ByteString.Char8 as B
 import qualified Data.ByteString.Lazy.Char8 as BL
 import qualified Data.CaseInsensitive as CI
-import           Data.Conduit
-import qualified Data.Conduit.List as CL
 import           Data.Default (def)
 import           Data.Monoid (mconcat)
 import qualified Data.Text as ST
@@ -238,17 +235,17 @@
 setHeader k v = ActionT . MS.modify $ setHeaderWith $ replace (CI.mk $ lazyTextToStrictByteString k) (lazyTextToStrictByteString v)
 
 -- | Set the body of the response to the given 'T.Text' value. Also sets \"Content-Type\"
--- header to \"text/plain\".
+-- header to \"text/plain; charset=utf-8\".
 text :: (ScottyError e, Monad m) => T.Text -> ActionT e m ()
 text t = do
-    setHeader "Content-Type" "text/plain"
+    setHeader "Content-Type" "text/plain; charset=utf-8"
     raw $ encodeUtf8 t
 
 -- | Set the body of the response to the given 'T.Text' value. Also sets \"Content-Type\"
--- header to \"text/html\".
+-- header to \"text/html; charset=utf-8\".
 html :: (ScottyError e, Monad m) => T.Text -> ActionT e m ()
 html t = do
-    setHeader "Content-Type" "text/html"
+    setHeader "Content-Type" "text/html; charset=utf-8"
     raw $ encodeUtf8 t
 
 -- | Send a file as the response. Doesn't set the \"Content-Type\" header, so you probably
@@ -257,10 +254,10 @@
 file = ActionT . MS.modify . setContent . ContentFile
 
 -- | Set the body of the response to the JSON encoding of the given value. Also sets \"Content-Type\"
--- header to \"application/json\".
+-- header to \"application/json; charset=utf-8\".
 json :: (A.ToJSON a, ScottyError e, Monad m) => a -> ActionT e m ()
 json v = do
-    setHeader "Content-Type" "application/json"
+    setHeader "Content-Type" "application/json; charset=utf-8"
     raw $ A.encode v
 
 -- | Set the body of the response to a Source. Doesn't set the
@@ -268,16 +265,6 @@
 -- own with 'setHeader'.
 stream :: (ScottyError e, Monad m) => StreamingBody -> ActionT e m ()
 stream = ActionT . MS.modify . setContent . ContentStream
-
--- | Set the body of the response to a Source. Doesn't set the
--- \"Content-Type\" header, so you probably want to do that on your
--- own with 'setHeader'.
-source :: (ScottyError e, Monad m) => Source IO (Flush Builder) -> ActionT e m ()
-source src = stream $ \send flush -> src $$ CL.mapM_ (\mbuilder ->
-    case mbuilder of
-      Chunk b -> send b
-      Flush -> flush)
--- Deprecated, but pragma is in Web.Scotty and Web.Scotty.Trans
 
 -- | Set the body of the response to the given 'BL.ByteString' value. Doesn't set the
 -- \"Content-Type\" header, so you probably want to do that on your
diff --git a/Web/Scotty/Internal/Types.hs b/Web/Scotty/Internal/Types.hs
--- a/Web/Scotty/Internal/Types.hs
+++ b/Web/Scotty/Internal/Types.hs
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@
     liftBase = liftBaseDefault
 
 
-instance (ScottyError e) => MonadTransControl (ActionT e) where
+instance ScottyError e => MonadTransControl (ActionT e) where
 #if MIN_VERSION_mtl(2,2,1)
      newtype StT (ActionT e) a = StAction {unStAction :: StT (StateT ScottyResponse) (StT (ReaderT ActionEnv) (StT (ExceptT (ActionError e)) a))}
 #else
diff --git a/Web/Scotty/Trans.hs b/Web/Scotty/Trans.hs
--- a/Web/Scotty/Trans.hs
+++ b/Web/Scotty/Trans.hs
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
       --
       -- | Note: only one of these should be present in any given route
       -- definition, as they completely replace the current 'Response' body.
-    , text, html, file, json, stream, source, raw
+    , text, html, file, json, stream, raw
       -- ** Exceptions
     , raise, rescue, next, defaultHandler, ScottyError(..)
       -- * Parsing Parameters
@@ -39,32 +39,23 @@
     , ScottyT, ActionT
     ) where
 
-import Blaze.ByteString.Builder (Builder, fromByteString)
+import Blaze.ByteString.Builder (fromByteString)
 
 import Control.Monad (when)
 import Control.Monad.State (execStateT, modify)
 import Control.Monad.IO.Class
 
-import Data.Conduit (Flush, Source)
 import Data.Default (def)
 
-import Network.HTTP.Types (status404)
+import Network.HTTP.Types (status404, status500)
 import Network.Wai
 import Network.Wai.Handler.Warp (Port, runSettings, setPort, getPort)
 
-import Web.Scotty.Action hiding (source)
-import qualified Web.Scotty.Action as Action
+import Web.Scotty.Action
 import Web.Scotty.Route
 import Web.Scotty.Internal.Types hiding (Application, Middleware)
 import qualified Web.Scotty.Internal.Types as Scotty
 
--- | Set the body of the response to a Source. Doesn't set the
--- \"Content-Type\" header, so you probably want to do that on your
--- own with 'setHeader'.
-source :: (ScottyError e, Monad m) => Source IO (Flush Builder) -> ActionT e m ()
-source = Action.source
-{-# DEPRECATED source "Use 'stream' instead. This will be removed in the next release." #-}
-
 -- | Run a scotty application using the warp server.
 -- NB: scotty p === scottyT p id id
 scottyT :: (Monad m, MonadIO n)
@@ -114,8 +105,8 @@
 -- This has security implications, so you probably want to provide your
 -- own defaultHandler in production which does not send out the error
 -- strings as 500 responses.
-defaultHandler :: Monad m => (e -> ActionT e m ()) -> ScottyT e m ()
-defaultHandler f = ScottyT $ modify $ addHandler $ Just f
+defaultHandler :: (ScottyError e, Monad m) => (e -> ActionT e m ()) -> ScottyT e m ()
+defaultHandler f = ScottyT $ modify $ addHandler $ Just (\e -> status status500 >> f e)
 
 -- | Use given middleware. Middleware is nested such that the first declared
 -- is the outermost middleware (it has first dibs on the request and last action
diff --git a/changelog.md b/changelog.md
--- a/changelog.md
+++ b/changelog.md
@@ -1,3 +1,13 @@
+## 0.9.0
+
+* Add `charset=utf-8` to `Content-Type` for `text`, `html` and `json`
+
+* Assume HTTP status 500 for `defaultHandler`
+
+* Remove deprecated `source` method.
+
+* No longer depend on conduit.
+
 ## 0.8.2
 
 * Bump `aeson` upper bound
diff --git a/scotty.cabal b/scotty.cabal
--- a/scotty.cabal
+++ b/scotty.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 Name:                scotty
-Version:             0.8.2
+Version:             0.9.0
 Synopsis:            Haskell web framework inspired by Ruby's Sinatra, using WAI and Warp
 Homepage:            https://github.com/scotty-web/scotty
 Bug-reports:         https://github.com/scotty-web/scotty/issues
@@ -73,7 +73,6 @@
                        blaze-builder    >= 0.3.3.0  && < 0.4,
                        bytestring       >= 0.10.0.2 && < 0.11,
                        case-insensitive >= 1.0.0.1  && < 1.3,
-                       conduit          >= 1.1      && < 1.2,
                        data-default     >= 0.5.3    && < 0.6,
                        http-types       >= 0.8.2    && < 0.9,
                        mtl              >= 2.1.2    && < 2.3,
@@ -95,11 +94,12 @@
   hs-source-dirs:      test
   build-depends:       base,
                        bytestring,
+                       text,
                        http-types,
                        lifted-base,
                        wai,
-                       hspec            >= 1.9.2,
-                       wai-extra        >= 3.0.0,
+                       hspec2,
+                       hspec-wai >= 0.3.0,
                        scotty
   GHC-options:         -Wall -fno-warn-orphans