Prisoner

- Season 1

(1979)

Two new prisoners, Karen Travers and Lyn Warner, are inducted into Wentworth Detention Centre and have to adjust to the harsh regime and the tough women they meet there. Karen, convicted of stabbing her cheating husband to death in the shower, turns out to be an old flame of prison Doctor Greg Miller. Lynn has been convicted of kidnapping and burying a baby alive, and though she loudly protests her innocence, she is bullied by the other women, led by their 'Top Dog', murderess Bea Smith. Meanwhile, young inmate Sally Lee hangs herself in her cell while going through ...

Lynn withdraws her complaint, so Bea's release is approved. The prisoners hold a farwell party for Bea and Mum. Mum leaves her beloved garden in the hands of Lynn. Mum is released into the care of her daughter, Lorraine, and Bea gets a lift into town from Eddie. Meg and Bill are having problems with their teenage son Marty, who tells them he wants to move out and get a place with his girlfriend. With Bea gone, Franky siezes the opportunity to take over the press and announces she is now in charge. Greg tries to talk Karen into appealing against her sentence, realising...

With Franky's hold growing in the prison, it reaches boiling point when an all out riot causes Bill to be stabbed. As Marilyn and Eddie's affair begins with Lizzie messing with the wiring.

Bill dies on the way to hospital and Rosie gives Birth to a boy. Meg is devastated as the police investigate into Bill's murder begins. The cops are not getting very far; meanwhile, Eddie tells Marilyn he saw who stabbed Bill. Bea and the girls learn from him that it was Chrissie who killed him. They attack and scalp Chrissie, and she is transferred away to another prison. Meg turns up for work, yells at everyone and is sent home by Erika Davidson until the funeral is passed, Mum collapses at the bedsit and her landlady goes through her belongings. After the funeral, ...

Mum recuperates from her collapse at her daughter's home but has to pretend to the children that she is an aunt as Lorraine told them their grandmother was dead. Frankie and Bea fight during a dance class in the Rec Room. Yates is caught smuggling the pill in for Marilyn. Suspected of being the one who supplied Sally Lee with drugs, she is reprimanded by Erica Davidson, and quits in disgust. Bea reads the girls tea Leaves and Lizzie pinches a bottle of surgical spirit from the infirmary. Mum can't deal with Lorraine any longer and walks out. After which Judith Anne ...

Lynn reveals she was raped by Mr Bentley. Vera has trouble with her ailing mother, as Meg's attitude changes again. Meg and Erica believe Lynn's case can be reopened.

Lizzie finds a stray cat in the garden and brings it into the prison. When it dies, she blames Frankie for killing it, but it turns out she did it accidentally herself by giving it water from the garden tainted with weed killer. Lizzie then tries to fake amnesia in order to get an early release but Meg Jackson sees right through it. Gary Doyle comes to visit Frankie again and gives her a copy of his plans for the farm. Later the other women deface the plans by scribbling all over them. Mum suggests Frankie work in the garden to keep her away from Bea Smith. Erica ...

Bea Smith and the other inmates find out about Frankie's plans to get paroled and live on a farm so they try to rile her into blowing her chances. Marilyn gets a job at a hotel but she is demoted after beauty consultant Helen Masters complains about her and then quits after being sexually harassed by her boss. She goes back on the game to buy Eddie a birthday present, prompting them to have a row and she walks out on him. Helen Masters is sent to Wentworth charged with manslaughter after her car is used in a hit-and-run. At first she is to be bailed but when she tries...

Marilyn's boyfriend Eddie is suspicious of where she got the money for his birthday gift: back "on the game" (prostitution)? The final straw is a visitor who is obviously a "workmate" from the street. Officials and inmates are puzzled when Helen Masters drops her application for bail. She uses the media to bring attention to the "innocent" women being incarcerated--including herself, of course. The Bentleys, the culprits responsible for Lyn's conviction, continue their libertine ways, but are finally exposed and arrested.

Helen Masters sets out to affect the quality of prison meals as part of her campaign to get a character witness for her trial, the prison doctor. Marilyn returns to prison, but Eddie is through. Vera's drinking almost gets her arrested in a pub, but the officer grants her professional courtesy and takes her home. Masters cons everybody--even her blackmailing assistant--and wins acquittal, trashing the prison officials and inmates in her first TV interview.

The inmates start realigning after Master's release; Frankie gains motivation from her brother to work on good behavior. Lyn, who has returned to her parents' home, runs away with Doug whom she had met while in prison. A detective, pretending to be attracted to Vera, interrogates Marilyn about her associates and their drug connections. Frankie, who can't read, gets a telegram saying her brother was injured and goes berserk when it's read to her, deciding to end it all.

Franky is devastated by the death of her brother as she makes a plan to go over the wall. While Marilyn is given the third degree by Detective Lang.

Vera's attitude continues to become more punitive toward the inmates, bringing a reprimand from the governor. Lizzie's heart forces her to return to the prison, while Frankie and Doreen face life on the run with no money. Lyn faces the fact that Doug is still a criminal, and she reluctantly gets involved in a holdup.

Lynn losses it all when Doug dies in an armed hold up, while Eddie losses his job because of his affair with Marilyn. Doreen and Franky still on the run they both decide to hold up somewhere for the night.

Karen permits the prison doctor to contact her lawyer about a retrial, and Dr. Miller kisses her. Vera walks in on them and reports him. A new prisoner, who is reputed to be really tough, is admitted; she and Bea turn out to be old friends, dashing Vera's hopes. Lyn is returned to prison. Doreen and Frankie have disguised themselves as nuns to beg money on the street, but decide to find an older person whom they can rob and perhaps take over their home.

Marilyn and Mum are released; Mum will help her pregnant granddaughter. Eddie and Marilyn are going to have a chance to run a milk bar owned by the new inmate, thanks to Bea's intervention. Bea and her friend Ferguson hatch a plot to get rid of Vera by accusing her of assault on a prisoner. Frankie and Doreen stay with the elderly woman they found, and she turns out to be aware of who they are--and doesn't care; she just wants company. Karen's lawyer files for a retrial, but he so discourages Lynn that she attempts suicide.

Lyn is found with her wrist cut and taken to hospital. A new inmate arrives: the niece of the governor. She is not wise to the way prisoners think; she reveals her relationship, promises to get her aunt's help for prisoners, and "snitches" on Bea's plot against Vera. Doreen and Frankie share the birthday of their "hostess" and are interrupted by a visit from her nephew Trevor. Karen's lawyer finds the woman who was present when Karen stabbed her husband and also finds out about Karen's abortion.

Frankie and Doreen have to go on the run again. The governor's niece involves Vera in planting drugs in Ferguson's cell and then attempts to blackmail her into getting special privileges. The prison is put on a tight security mode when the drugs are found. A young teenage girl is abducted by a man claiming to be a family friend and is raped; police offer little hope in finding him.

Doreen hooks up with a bloke with a room, leaving Frankie to fend for herself, but he leaves Doreen bruised. Frankie gets revenge before they leave. Barbara Davidson, the governor's niece, is revealed as the drug smuggler thanks to Lyn's searching of her cabinet; Bea vindicates Ferguson. The rapist is seen by the girl in a neighborhood store, and her mother attacks him with her car.

Karen's barrister, Mr. Wilson, is retained to represent Mrs. Roberts who killed the man who raped her daughter. She is remanded to prison and finds the adjustment hard. Doreen and Frankie must find a way to get money; Franky favours a bank robbery. Karen receives the letter from Frankie; Lyn gets assurance she will get a light sentence. On their way to a robbery, Franky is shot and killed; Doreen walks back to prison and turns herself in because she blames Karen for Franky wanting to escape and plans revenge.

Doreen's hostility boils over; she blames Karen's rebuff for Frankie's death. She attempt to become the bully Frankie was. Barbara is in solitary for bringing in drugs, and Vera has the upper hand. Lizzie gets a day out to see her dying brother, escorted by the governor, which coincides with Barbara's hearing. The Roberts struggle with whether her plea should be temporary insanity. Lyn's father visits her and the result is her feeling that her only hope is to get tough. Meanwhile Vera is selectively ignoring violence among the inmates.

Barbara's hearing manages to cast doubt on her aunt's impartiality, thanks to Vera's innuendos. A departmental investigation is planned. Lizzie's brother dies after a bitter row with her. Lyn's father blows hot and cold about supporting her at trial; Lyn herself flips back and forth between cooperation and rebellion. Mrs. Roberts does not allow her daughter to testify and is convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 3 years in Wentworth.

Barbara is being bullied by Doreen; Vera eggs it on, hoping it will somehow get Mrs. Davidson in trouble. Lyn's father gets her a job if she gets work release, and she reverts to her normal attitudes (her trial results in 12 months with remission). The governor's husband tries to convince her that Barbara is being treated too harshly by the staff. Mr. Wilson has represented Roberts and Lyn and tries to find Karen's mother to be a witness for the appeal who isn't interested, as she is planning to remarry and determined to put her daughter's problems behind her. Barbara...

Barbara's aunt talks her out of the cell, but feels she must transfer her ASAP. Doreen attempts to apologize but Barbara ignores her. Because of the costs of defense, the Roberts have been forced to sell their business, rent their house and send their daughter to live with an aunt, as the father has had to take a job elsewhere. Lyn is okayed to do work release at a plant nursery. Karen's retrial drags up all the memories and seems hopeless the first day. The second goes better, but Karen must now be cross-examined.

Karen's appeal seems to be going badly since there is no corroboration for her husband's abuse. Lyn goes off happily to her nursery job and is left alone while the owner runs errands. The office is locked, and when a customer hands her money, she puts it in her pocket. A woman is caught shoplifting and sent to Wentworth on remand; she refuses to give her name although her fingerprints will identify her as a repeat offender. Karen's mother reconsiders, testifies to hearing the husband demand Karen get an abortion, and the jury reduces her conviction to manslaughter. ...

The shoplifter's name is found (Susan); her mother reveals that the husband has filed for divorce and she has custody of Susan's children. Susan dashes the expectations of inmate fans when a TV heartthrob appears on screen by claiming he is the reason her husband is abandoning his family. Vera meets a former prison officer in a bar and is impressed with her flat, clothes, and other possessions; she does not suspect there is an illegal activity involved. Knowing Vera's loneliness seems to make it easy for the "boss" to draw her into his net.

Susan's erratic behavior continues: writing on the cell walls with lipstick, tearing her bedclothes to shreds. Lyn's work release employer calls, offering her job back. Mr. Wilson encourages Karen to take college classes during her prison term so that she will be prepared for another career other than teaching. Susan's husband sues for custody of their children, and Wilson is his attorney. Though troubled by not knowing how he makes a living, Vera continues to see George. When he reveals he deals drugs, Vera feels used; she feels so unattractive she can't believe he ...

Bea hates drug dealers so much the administration tries to conceal the reason Ann Yates is in Wentworth. Lyn has a good day at work and realizes her boss hasn't told her coworker that she is in prison (which leads to complications). Susan is interviewed by a psychiatrist who sees her as normal, needing only marriage counseling, although she has been violent in the social worker's office. Lizzie and Doreen want to go on work release so bad that they break into the governor's office in order to get applications and let Doreen forge Mrs. Davidson's signature. For her ...

Susan's court date results in her release; her husband gets custody of their children; she leaves home. When the camera scans the audience at a TV show where Jason Richards is appearing, Susan is sitting there zoned out. Suddenly she runs up on stage and throws acid in his face. She is returned to Wentworth and is fantasizing about her husband coming for her. Meg reads the newspaper and learns that Jason Richards is the stage name of Susan's husband Frederick. Susan has "split" the man in two: Jason Richards as the one causing her husband's absence from his family and...

Yates is missing and the search begins for her. Next morning Lizzie finds her dead in the dryer. Vera realizes she was to blame but keeps quiet. With Bea in hospital, Monica decides to take over as 'Top Dog' and clashes with Noeline Burke. They both blame each other for killing Yates, but Noeline is packed of to the pound for lying to Erica Davidson, about it. Meg Jackson tells Mum about Bea being in hospital Mum goes to visit her but is not allowed in, as Judith-Anne lets slip to Jean that Meg Jackson has been visiting them. Steve invites Jean to dinner to meet Clara...

Bea learns she will be going back to Wentworth soon, so she drugs her police guard and escapes from the hospital. Mum is shocked when Bea turns up on her doorstep but agrees she can stay for a few days, against Judith-Anne's protest. Panic ensues when Meg turns up to visit Mum. Noeline continues to throw her weight around with Bea absent so Monica, Lizzie and Doreen give her an extremely hot shower furious, Noeline pinches Lizzie's smoke's and rips the arm's and legs of Doreen's teddy. Syd fires Lyn without warning. George Lucas turns up at Vera's place and forces her...

Meg is suspicious when she finds a packet of Bea's cigarettes and Mum has to make excuses. Meanwhile, Bea has hidden in the next room. Later, Bea asks Mum to go see Val and get some cash so she can buy a dress and a wig. Judith-Anne goes instead, but Val has moved. She buys the dress and wig herself so that Bea will leave. Meg realises Mum must have been hiding Bea. She and Jean go back to the flat, and narrowly miss bumping into Bea. Jean has to tell Lynn she has been fired, but Jean eventually manages to talk Syd into taking her back. Noeline tries to bully Clara, ...

Bea returns to Mum's flat, furious over Judith-Anne lying to her. Judith-Anne finally agrees to find out where Val is, but after she contacts Val, Val calls the police. Bea spots the police in time and turns up on Val's doorstep, forcing her to let her stay. Later, a policeman arrives at Val's house looking for Bea. Erica finds Vera tied up in her flat and calls the police. Vera admits it was Lucas who tied her up. She learns she may face charges for associating with known criminals. Erica wants to demote her, but Meg gets her to reconsider. Monica tries to show her ...

Bea hides in Val's garden until the cops leave, and is spotted by nosy Yvonne, the girl who lives next door. She tells Val that she knows who Bea is and wants to know more about her. Monica gets Lizzie to start making home brew, and they get Lynn to smuggle in the yeast for it. She is very nearly caught by Vera, but manages to hide it in the garden, from where Lizzie retrieves it. After the booze is made, Monica sells it on to the other women and leaves Lizzie with none. Steve's acquaintance Marianne de Vere says she's interested in funding the halfway house. Karen ...

The home brew causes friction amongst the women, as Monica sells it on but won't give Lizzie any. Clara gets permission to have a birthday party and the women are allowed into the kitchen to prepare for it. Lizzie takes yeast from the kitchen and makes more booze in a cupboard, but Noeline muscles in on the scheme. The party goes well, until Noeline sneaks away and gets roaring drunk in the Laundry, where she's found by Erica and Meg. Col Burke's siege continues, but he doesn't know what to do next. He asks to see Noeline and she arrives with Vera, somewhat the worse ...

The police turn up at Val's place and arrest Bea, but she persuades them Val didn't have any choice but let her stay. She is brought back to Wentworth and welcomed back by Doreen. With little effort, Bea reclaims the press. That night after lights out, Noeline punches her, but next morning it is Noeline who wakes up worse for wear. Bea goes to the Governor and admits she walloped her. Monnie is still adamant she's in charge, leading to a brawl between them, during which Meg is knocked out. They finally declare a truce. Erica furiously cancels Lynn and Karen's day ...

Meg and Greg are nervous around each other after spending the night together. Doreen appears to be developing a crush on Lynn and is upset to realise Lynn's parole is looming. Noeline learns that she will be released in a week's time and is warned to keep out of trouble, but both Erica and Meg know she will be back before very long. Marianne de Vere agrees to fund the halfway house and wants to throw a garden party for the women, to which the media will be invited. Despite Vera's reservations, both Erica and the Department agree to it. Marianne also donates a new ...

Erica cancels all privileges, including Lynn's work release and Karen's study release, and tightens security following the disaster at the garden party. Bea is feeling increasingly left out as Clara proves a big hit with the other girls and suggests she is thinking of stepping down as Top Dog. Meg realises that Noeline must have been the one who smashed the TV. A Greek woman called Irene Zervos arrives on prostitution charges; she speaks very little English and is very distressed at being inside. Karen offers to act as communicator for her. Monica shows her racist ...

Erica announces that a Visiting Justice has been appointed to investigate her running of Wentworth; Vera is thrilled, planning what she will change when Erica is sacked and she is appointed Governor instead. Clara cements her popularity amongst the women by getting Monica to leave Irene alone and successfully asking Erica to resume the work release. Karen and Steve try to help Irene further. Irene's brother, Alex, and his wife, Tessa, learn that they are allowed to stay in the country and mistakenly think this means Irene can also. The VJ transfers Clara to another ...

Vera is livid as former Vietnam vet Jim Fletcher arrives to start work as the new Deputy Governor. Fletcher wastes little time before he manages to annoy both the officers and the women. Lynn is caught supposedly trying to smuggle letters out but claims she has been framed. Her work release is cancelled. Monica throws a fit when her parole is turned down. Irene gets released, then promptly rearrested for being an illegal immigrant. New prisoner Joyce Martin arrives and Jim knows her husband from Pentridge. She tells the women that she is the only one who knows where ...

Lynn frets about her parole as she protests the letters were planted on her. Fortunately, she has Meg and Erica on her side. Doreen steals some pills from the surgery and plants them under Lynn's pillow, where they are found in a cell search. Lynn is sent to Solitary, but Lizzie suddenly realises that Doreen set her up. Joyce's husband Harry comes to visit her, anxious to get his hands on the robbery money. She refuses to tell him. He returns later with some men in a truck and tries to abduct her from the prison grounds. Jim intervenes and is injured in the scuffle. ...

Jim recovers from his minor injuries as Joyce recovers from her narrow escape at the hands of her husband. Not wanting Harry to get to the money, she asks Monica to help her move the money somewhere safer after she is released. Erica learns that Jim and his wife, Leila, are separated. Lizzie tells Erica that she framed Lynn: Lynn is let out of the pound and Lizzie suffers loss of privileges. Meanwhile, Lizzie confronts Doreen, telling her she knows it was her who did it. Doreen spitefully tells Lynn that it was Lizzie who set her up and Lynn turns on the old woman. ...

Lynn refuses to forgive Doreen and learns she is to be released. She and Doreen sort of patch things up before Lynn leaves, but Doreen is still distraught over the whole thing, and confused over her feelings for her. Monica refuses to get involved in Joyce's troubles, especially as she has just got her parole and will be leaving along with Lynn. However, when Monnie's husband Fred turns up to tell her he has huge gambling debts, she agrees to help Joyce in order to pay them off. What Monnie doesn't know is that Fred's lying through his teeth and he wants the money to ...

The kidnappers refuse to believe Lynn's insistent cries that she isn't Monica. Joyce is visited by one of the gang, and realises through what she says that they kidnapped Lynn instead. Urged on by Bea, she tells Jim the whole story, and he calls the police. The gang are arrested and Lynn is rescued. Back home with hubby Fred, Monica goes to pay off his debts, only to find he didn't owe as much as he said. When she returns home again, Monnie finds that Fred has stolen all the rest of her money and taken off. Karen's sociology lecturer, Peter Clements, comes to ...

Monica scours Melbourne looking for Fred. Meanwhile, Blossom and her boyfriend Bruce con Fred out of the money, so he goes home again with his tail between his legs. Monnie is livid and beats him senseless, landing herself back inside. However, Blossom is also arrested for having the stolen money, and it isn't long before Monnie and Joyce realise who she is and what she has done. Edie rolls about the town drunk and throws a brick through the window of the refuge that turned her and Horrie away. After shoplifting and attacking a woman with an umbrella, she is sent to ...

Lizzie befriends Edie, and she is moved into Lizzie and Doreen's cell. Monica and Joyce try to beat Blossom up when they realise exactly who she is. Monica tells Joyce that Blossom didn't get her share of the money. Jim starts to realise that there is some link between the three women. Blossom wants Vera to protect her, but she refuses; later, Monica bashes Blossom and is sent to Solitary. On the way, she and Jim are intercepted by Edie, who tells them Lizzie is having a heart attack. Doreen loses the plot and attacks Monnie through the bars of the solitary cell, ...

Monica is let out of solitary and put under close observation to prevent her clobbering Blossom (Denise). The prison is under strict security to prevent the safe deposit key being smuggled out. Edith and Lizzie's friendship deepens; Lizzie almost has an attack when Clement visits her. Jean tells Karen she will soon be released and shares concern that Clement is having an adverse effect on the inmates. Denise promises Fletcher money if he helps and protects her; he sounds out his wife about a reconciliation. He makes a deal with Denise, half the money if he gets the ...

Denise reveals to Fletcher she hid the key in a toilet in the reception area; he calls Detective Grace and is thus eligible for the reward of $14,000. He goes to notify his wife and finds a man in a bathrobe. Clement wants to investigate Fletcher and realizes he should start with his Army files. Tom Burton, the sociology tutor, tries to end the affair with the student; she has pictures she threatens to send to his wife. Tom gets home too late to intercept them. Edith is scheduled for release and realizes the pathetic life she will return to; Fletcher is touched by ...

Tom's wife Carol calls his student and arranges to purchase the pictures; the police arrest her as a blackmailer and she goes to Wentworth. Carol calls from the police station, and Tom must resign his university post; Clement must come back. Fletcher denies Karen a day at university for "backtalk"; she reveals that Fletcher is hemophobic, and the inmates set him up during a first-aid class to see how that plays out. Edith doesn't want to leave Wentworth, and she doesn't have to--she dies in her sleep. Lizzie grieves intensely; Fletcher arranges to pay for Edie's ...

Noeline Burke is returned to Wentworth after a job she does with daughter Leanne goes wrong, and gets a pasting from Bea for smashing the TV set last time she was inside. Jean Vernon, who has moved back in with Meg, tries to help the Burke family by encouraging Leanne to claim the dole, to Noeline's disgust. Leanne and her boyfriend Denny look for a way to get quick cash, and Meg returns home to find her flat has been broken into. Melinda learns she is pregnant. Greg prepares to leave Wentworth for his new practice, but agrees to help out until they get a new doctor. ...

The new inmate in Solitary starts protesting and banging on her cell door to be let out of the pound, joined by Bea and the other women in support. The woman, child killer Bella Albrecht, is let out of Solitary, but a veil of silence surrounds her presence there. As the other women try to get the gen on her, Erica tells Karen the truth about Bella but makes her promise to keep quiet. Karen refuses to tell Bea anything, but she gets the info out of Peter Clements. Later, alone in the shower block, Bella is attacked. Meanwhile, Meg realises that it was Leanne who ...

Bella is startled in the shower room by Martha, who is bucking Bea's vendetta. Greg starts his first day in his private practice. Karen cannot go to university until Mrs. Davidson completes her investigation; Clement admits to being conned by Bea; Davidson throws him out. Vera overhears Clement advising Fletcher to get his hemophobia treated by a psych; she asks Greg the meaning of the term. Melinda is pregnant, presumably with Tom's child; she plans to use that fact to get a lower sentence. Noeline threatens Leanne with being cut off from the family unless she gets ...

Vera finds Martha working alone in the garden; Melinda finds Bella's body murdered in the shower area. Police are brought in to investigate; Melinda's trial is the same day. She is found guilty but released on a good behavior bond for 3 years; she promptly asks Dr. Greg to perform an abortion. Bea and Monica are held in the cells on suspicion, and Noeline rummages through lockers and cabinets in the cells looking for fags, compacts, lighters, whatever... Karen is questioned by police and reveals Bella wore a chain around her neck with an expensive ring on it: a ruby ...

An unsuccessful search is made for the missing ring. Greg clears out from the prison; Karen bring in a draft copy of Clement's thesis and prepares for her parole hearing. Meg comes home to a pigsty, and Leanne cleans it up and begs to stay a little longer. Meg discovers the ring and Noeline is called in for questioning. Under pressure, she claims to have found it in Martha's cell. Meanwhile Martha threatens Lizzie because she thinks Lizzie took the ring. When questioned by Mrs. Davidson, Martha brags that she proved she was smarter than they all thought by getting Bea...

Bea and Lizzie try to cheer Karen up after her parole hearing; Monica depresses her further. Leanne applies for a job at a supermarket running the till; Meg is appalled. Karen's parole comes through; she is not able to say goodbye except to Noeline who shared her cell. Jean picks her up and delivers her to one of her mother's friends; she experiences disorientation having so many choices. Doreen is sent back from the psych unit and seems like a zombie; she is returned to the cell with Lizzie. Meg is told she will come out of it when the sedative wears off; the inmates...

Karen's "landlady" is becoming very controlling, and Melinda offers her a place if Jean gives permission. The inmates stage a hunger strike because of Doreen' s medical needs. Noeline finds out her daughter has been arrested for the robbery and explodes, initiating a standoff. While Bea goes to see Doreen, Monica and Noeline give in to the administration because they want to make parole. Fletcher has Bea put in solitary. Greg warns Melinda that an abortion could get her charged with perjury and return her to prison.

Karen arrives at Melinda's and finds it isn't quite as welcoming as she thought. She needs to find a part-time job and get a mattress for the floor. With Bea in solitary and Noeline released, Doreen is concerned that there is no leader. A Mrs. McNally enters a bar, asks for a woman. follows her into the loo and shoots her. She goes to Wentworth on remand; Lizzie recognizes her as the wife of a top mobster. She receives goods from her lawyer to buy cooperation from the other prisoners. The murder witness is guarded, but the word is out that she should be eliminated. ...

McNally arranges to have a box smuggled in with liquor, cigarettes and fruit, but it is found. She subtly begins to take Bea's place in the pecking order. Melinda has an abortion using Karen's name; her doctor calls the apartment and Karen learns of the deception and moves out. Fletcher takes Vera out to apologize for being so rude, and again when he is granted leave. His wife suggests they might reconcile for the children's sake and he agrees.

Toni smuggles more contraband in, and passes around more 'funny cigarettes'. The officers have trouble finding any of the smuggled goods, until one prisoner lags. Karen moves into a hotel and gets a job at a cafe.

Karen takes up her post with Angela Jeffries, who tells her they finally have the funding for the Halfway House, but asks her to try and convince Greg to return to Wentworth. Monica gets the result of her parole hearing.

Greg agrees to return to the prison, but only part time. Bea is released from solitary, but seems to have no interest in challenging Toni for position as top dog.

Bea realises Toni is dealing drugs and hits Doreen for going along with her. Doreen tries not to tell Erica it was Bea who hit her, but accidentally lets it slip. She begs Erica to recommend her parole, despite Greg's reservations about her mental state. After examining Mum, Greg says she has a chest infection and needs rest. He suggests Karen move in with them to look after them; later, Mum collapses while home alone. Angela holds a meeting about the Halfway House, with Erica and Greg in attendance. However, Karen acts very childishly resulting in a telling off from ...

Erica continues her plans to leave Wentworth, and Jim Fletcher returns to take over as acting governor. Toni gets a visit from Ros Coulson, daughter of the woman she killed.

Antonia McNally is in hospital after Roz shoots her on the steps of the courthouse; Roz Colson, the 17 year old daughter of the victim, is put in Wentworth. Fletcher institutes a policy of no privileges until the inmates "earn" them; he requires all the staff to work overtime in order to have complete supervision. While Meg and another warder are discussing this, Martha sneaks out after Roz (who was headed for the toilet) and intends revenge for McNally. Bea notices and leaves Martha on the ground; she is sent to solitary. Fletcher tells Roz she must rely on staff to ...

The officers meet to consider the effect of Fletcher's new policies: no privileges, PT every morning, discipline without proof, and compulsory overtime. He yields on only the PT; the warders back down until Meg is slated to admit a prisoner transferred from Barnhurst, the woman who murdered Meg's husband. The officers go on strike and Vera schemes to put Fletcher in a bad light. Karen visits Mum's daughter who goes to see her in hospital. She continues to feel Judith Anne has disgraced the family but offers financial help. Mum turns it down because of her attitude ...

Fletcher is given an ultimatum to settle the strike and decides to resign as governor. He would be willing to be deputy if Mrs. Davidson returns, but not under Vera who is next in line. The overseer of prisons reminds Mrs. Davidson of what will happen to those soon to be considered for parole if Vera is appointed, and she decides to come back. Bea is transferred to the garden to isolate her. Doreen's mother doesn't want to see her, but Mrs. Davidson suggests she could help finance the halfway house so that Doreen would have a place to go. Following up, Mrs. Hemmings ...

Alice Hemmings visits Doreen and talks to her about the halfway house without telling her she is her mother. Karen pleads with Alice to reveal the truth; Alice refuses. Mum defends her daughter's right to reject her and Judy. Lorraine visits Judy but shows no interest in the baby. Karen also visits Doreen and tries to encourage her to come to the halfway house and rebuild her life. Roz suggests the women "send Latham (Bill Jackson's killer) to Coventry," that is give her the silent treatment, and it begins to have an effect. She burns the poem Doreen has written to ...

Greg discovers the drug cabinet was broken into, and inventory reveals it was ipecac, an emetic, that was taken. When Latham is found vomiting, suspicion falls on Bea; Mrs. Davidson follows through on her threat to punish Bea if anyone hurt Latham. After overhearing what was missing, Lizzie borrows a medical book and tells Meg that ipecac works almost immediately. A repeated episode after Bea is in solitary makes Mrs. Davidson suspicious, so she assigns Latham to the garden--alone. When the empty bottle is found there, Latham is on the spot; she confesses to the theft...

Workers are coming in from the men's prison, and Fletcher is detailed to curtail contact with the women. Greg confirms Chrissie's pregnancy and she demands an abortion. Greg feels Chrissie is making a hasty decision and arranges a job for her in maternity. Karen visits Doreen, asking her to pass on the fact that Pat's son David will be on the work party. Fletcher warns Doreen that doing so may threaten her parole. Doreen decides to tell Pat anyway after she realizes its importance to her. Pat asks to be allowed to work in the garden, but Mrs. Davidson refuses. When ...

Pat tries to explain why she HAD to see her son, but Mrs. Davidson tells her she has foolishly jeopardized her parole. Fletcher actually pleads Pat's case; she has been a model prisoner and the maternal instinct is understandable. Vera is furious because of what she sees as undermining the authority of the officers. Mrs. Davidson visits the halfway house and cautions Karen concerning confidential information. Doreen is to be released the next day; Doreen's mother Alice Heming visits Karen, but refuses to accompany her to pick up Doreen. At the halfway house, Doreen ...

Rosie is convinced that she will be released when Sam is taken out of the prison on his first birthday even though Pat has tried to explain. When Rosie declares she would commit suicide if he were taken, Pat tries to alert Mrs. Davidson but Vera refuses to allow it because Erica is trying unsuccessfully to convince Roz to plead temporary insanity and then is leaving. In desperation, Pat pleads with Greg to get Angela Jeffries to get a psychiatrist to see Rosie; Karen is actually the one who passes the message on. Just before her interview with Dr. Weissman, Vera ...

Doreen wants to know why neither Karen nor her mother told her the truth. Karen is so annoyed by Doreen's rejection of Alice that she tells Doreen the real reason why her mother doesn't want to get too involved (terminal cancer). Doreen finally asks Karen to take her to see Alice at home; Alice invites her back any time. Meg takes Rosie to maternity to convince her that her baby is gone; she describes her own case: being born in prison. Chrissie is listening in and gets sick of Meg's optimism; she points out Rosie is a junkie and won't get her baby back. She replies ...

Doreen is angry that her mother didn't answer the door, but has compassion for the escaped Roz. She begs Karen to let her stay one night, jeopardizing both their paroles. Police appear but it's only to tell Doreen her mother is in hospital, found in a coma by her housekeeper. Karen takes her, warning Roz to be gone when they return. Roz goes to the brothel where her mother worked; the pimp demands Roz prostitute herself to pay. She absconds with $200 and the boss reports her to a "bent" cop, pointing him to the halfway house. Alice has died, and Doreen is devastated ...

Pat is concerned because her kids didn't come to visit, and Bea learns that Rosie is "gone' with no explanation; Vera implies Rosie is permanently in the loony bin. A reporter tries to check on Roz's arrest, first at Wentworth and then at the halfway house. Meg alerts Greg about police suspicions that Roz holed up with Karen; he covers for her but is quite angry about the situation. Lizzie and Bea plan to use the traditional Christmas play to ridicule Vera, and her attempts to confiscate paper and censor their efforts just egg them on. Fletcher encourages them as a ...

Christmas is coming, and with it the inmates' annual opportunity to use their concert to perform a play cruelly caricaturing the officers. The "real" version was not approved, so they must rehearse without being observed, which requires many subterfuges. Under the cover of an "attack," Lizzie takes cotton balls from Greg's desk and even brings in a small tree from the garden when taken out to recover. Karen's interview about Pat's parole predicament produces publicity and a confrontation between Greg and Mrs. Davidson. Doreen bakes a Christmas cake for Lizzie, soaks ...

What's a mother to do when her son escapes from prison and wants to see her? What if she knows she is being watched by police and is on parole herself? Pat is torn between her two small children and David, her mother's illness and her own freedom. Karen and the reporter and Greg get involved trying to prevent Pat's being returned to prison at all costs. Inside Wentworth, Roz continues to be sullen and uncaring, determined to escape again. Chrissie offers to help--for a price. Bea and Lizzie try to alert Mrs. Davidson without actually snitching. Doreen has gone on a ...

Pat is arrested because of her son's attempt to see her, and Greg is questioned as a witness. Karen has come after hearing someone was killed at the scene; he asks her to promise to abandon Pat but she refuses. Roz steals pills from Greg's office, gives some to Chrissie in payment and hides others. She is caught when she retrieves them and put in solitary. Pat makes a radio appeal for David to surrender, but he is determined not to; he blames Greg for her imprisonment and plans to kill him. Pat has convinced the police she is sincere and is encouraged that she may be ...

Mrs. Davidson tightens security measures at Wentworth, and the women's plans to get wedding presents is delayed. ALL regulations are being enforced rigorously. Doreen feels rejected when she learns of Greg and Karen's engagement; Meg is happy for them and arranges a party. Two women are admitted to the halfway house, giving Doreen another focus. David lies in wait to kill Greg and sends his mate to the surgery to spy out the best time to get a shot. Karen joins Greg at the surgery; one of them answers the phone and David fires at the shape in the window.

Karen is the one who was shot by David; Greg waits at the hospital for a diagnosis; her mother must be contacted for permission to operate since fragments are near her heart. Police warn the bullets were probably meant for him. David is urged to run by Herbie, who is hiding him, but when the news about Karen comes, David wants to try again for Greg. Herbie refuses to be further involved but seems to relent when David points his gun at him; while David is out of the room, Herbie removes the shells and brings police to his flat where they arrest him. Roz must appear ...

Vera is gutted following her suspension. Jock tells her the truth will come out eventually; next day, he threatens Kerry into withdrawing her allegations. Doreen and Kevin quickly marry in the prison garden, with Bea, Lizzie, Meg and Erica present. Meanwhile, Jock offers to pressure Doreen into selling her mother's house, and slaps her, but is overheard by Sharon, who suggests he buy her silence. Captain Barton informs Lizzie he has found Marcia. A scheme is cooked up to give Bea and Ken some private time together, under cover of an art class run by Kerry. Bea is to ...