Following Vera's departure, Colleen appears as the most ambitious and aspiring prison officer. Alison is released and Judy takes over her work in reception. Some prisoners, among them Bea, Lizzie, Doreen and Mouse, get work release in a house renovation outside prison. In the house, Peter Richards hides from police. At a demonstration outside Wentworth, Colleen is injured by activist Andrea Hennessy, who is arrested. She manages to anger most prisoners and staff. During the work release, Doreen runs away with Peter. Andrea's friends, Linda Golman and Ricky Dulling, take Erica as hostage and demand to have Andrea set free. As a counter-move, Andrea is taken hostage by Bea and Judy.
A new prison officer, Janet Conway, starts working at Wentworth. Andrea reveals where Erica probably is held captive. Jim contacts the police, which storm the hideout, shoot Ricky to death, arrest Linda and free Erica. Bea recognizes Janet, who once was remanded at Wentworth. Doreen and Peter hide in the house Lizzie inherited after Sid. Meg makes them give up, since it shows the police are not after Peter. Linda accuses Andrea of lagging and they are both injured in a fight. They are taken to hospital. Linda takes Janet's gun, tries to shoot Andrea, but instead hits Jim, who nevertheless manages to overpower Linda. Lizzie is released and moves into Sid's house. Bea can finally start her education project with Braille writing.
Two new prisoners, Sandy Edwards and Kate Peterson, arrive. Since Bea is occupied with her project, a power-vacuum appears, which Sandy uses to take over as top dog, but she is met with opposition from Judy and Doreen. Linda commits suicide and Andrea is transferred. Jim and Janet start dating. Bea suffers from a kidney disease and is moved to sickbay. Sandy can completely take over as top dog. Meg returns to work as a prison officer. Lizzie is harassed by Gordon Humphrey and in despair she burns down the house, is arrested by police and once again ends up in Wentworth. A new prison officer, Steve Fawkner, starts working at Wentworth, whereto also Marie Winter is transferred at the same time as Bea is hospitalized for a kidney transplantation. Judy and Doreen, who have falsified the officers' roster, are moved to Barnhurst. Sandy has though gotten rid of her main opponents, but she is now openly challenged by Marie, while Kate intrigues in the background. Characters like Hazel, Phyllis and Mouse are also more prominent at this time. Colleen is appointed Chief Prison Officer after Vera, while Meg is elected Union representative.
Colleen's harsh methods create an irritated mood among the prisoners and Sandy feels obligated to start a riot. Janet and Steve are taken hostage. Sandy, Marie and Kate pull in different directions, something which makes it possible for officers and police to suppress the riot. Sandy appears as a failure and Marie takes over as top dog. Lizzie is found not guilty at her trial and once again released. Sandy seduces Steve and they have a risky relation inside prison. Bea's surgery has succeeded and she is returned to Wentworth. Kate continues to intrigue and play out everyone, prisoners and staff, against each other. She becomes Colleen's and Inspector Grace's informer (lagger). Bea and Sandy ally against Marie. Meg leads a strike among officers for reasonable working conditions. Judy is returned from Barnhurst to Wentworth. Bea and Sandy sabotage Marie's drug dealing. Lizzie has once again abused her freedom and is imprisoned anew. Doreen is returned from Barnhurst to Wentworth. Jim and Janet break up their relation.
Judy's daughter, Lori, has married Geoff Maynard and they prepare for Judy's release. Sandy is threatened by Marie's drug gang and her husband is murdered at Pentridge prison. Judy is released. Lori and Geoff have arranged work and living for her. Marie and Kate sabotage Bea's smuggling activities. Judy once again runs into her arch-enemy, Jock Stewart. Sandy kills John Fitzwater, Marie's drug supplier, when he visits Wentworth. Jim is appointed Governor of Beachmount prison and the post as Deputy Governor of Wentworth is vacated. Both Colleen and Meg apply for the position.
Wentworth receives a printing press and Ian Mahoney becomes the women's instructor. Margo is back at H Block and joins Marie's gang. Doreen secretly befriends the prison's watch-dogs. Ian fancies Meg, but she rejects him. Jock first blackmails Judy, then bashes and rapes her, and pronounces threats against Lori. Judy seeks Meg's help in frightening Jock off, but he turns up again, chases Judy, falls in a stairs, becomes paralyzed and confined to wheel-chair. Doreen uses the watch-dogs to make an attempted escape. The dogs instead attack Janet, but Doreen must interrupt her escape when the guards threaten to shoot the dogs. Judy once again seeks refuge with Wally. The very young Susie Driscoll is placed at Wentworth. Meg is appointed Deputy Governor, but rejects the offer because her marriage with Bob is shaking, instead Colleen gets her much wanted promotion.
Marie's gang make an attempt to kill Sandy, who is saved by Bea and Doreen. Meg and Bob are divorced. Judy's trouble in freedom leads to her being arrested and placed at Wentworth again. Kate tries to poison Sandy, who forces her to drink it herself, but Kate has time to take an antidote. Susie makes several spectacular, but failed, escape attempts. Janet and Ian start dating. Kate's double play has finally been revealed. Marie and Sandy play a game of cards to decide who will kill her. Sandy wins. Marie starts a diversion during outdoor break, so Sandy can take Kate separate. After the break comes only... Kate back. Obviously she has managed to kill Sandy and dump the body in a trash bin, although the officers believe Sandy has escaped.
Kate and Marie wage a war of nerves against each other. Bea and Marie ally against Kate. Bea becomes top dog again. The women carry out a trial against Kate for lagging and killing Sandy. She is sentenced to death. Marie is appointed executioner. To her relief, Kate is granted transfer to Barnhurst, but her joy is short-lived, when she finds out that Marie is also being moved there. Kate then refuses to move and can stay at Wentworth, while Marie's transfer is made. Kate manages to stay alive, but starts to show signs of insanity, played or real? Colleen shows her human side for the first time, towards Susie. Meg is invited to dinner with Colleen's family, which consists of her husband, Patrick Powell, and the children, Jennifer Powell and Robert Powell.
The women edit a newspaper, The Weekly Stir, and print it in the new press. Kate is finally granted transfer to mental hospital. A new prisoner, Joanne Slater, serves a short sentence at Wentworth. Susie imagines she is her mother, but is later proven wrong. Janet and Ian are married and disappear from the series. Steve starts dating Wentworth receptionist Wendy Scott. Jennifer Powell witnesses a bank robbery and is kidnapped by the robbers, Mel, Doug Lewis and Carol Lewis. Doug rapes Jennifer. Carol shoots her husband Doug to death and lets Jennifer get away. Helen Smart arrives at Wentworth again, obviously without having committed any crime. It develops into a scandal when The Weekly Stir writes about it and the paper is spread outside prison. Carol is arrested and treated very harsh by Colleen. Jackie Donahue serves a short sentence at Wentworth. It shows she can witness about Judy's innocence. The women make their own alcohol in the boiler room. Both Carol and Margo are transferred to Barnhurst. Susie is released. Prisoner Faye Quinn begins to come into the story. Helen is declared innocent and released. Chrissie Latham has had problems keeping on the narrow road and ends up in Wentworth again.