Immediately after Myra Desmond's death, Lou Kelly proclaims herself to be the new top dog, but she doesn't get enough support. Instead the women choose Nora Flynn. After a fight with Lou, the pregnant Nora loses her expected baby. Lionel Fellowes' gang make several attempts to kill Joan, who retaliates by letting her friend at Blackmoor, Cynthia Leach, bash Ruth Ballinger. Frank Burke escapes, shows up at Meg's and Dennis' and takes them hostage. When police storm the apartment, Frank shoots Dennis in the legs and Dennis ends up in wheel-chair. He breaks up with Meg, since he doesn't want to be a burden to her. Ettie is released.
Prostitute Queenie Marshall makes a short stay at Wentworth. She recognizes the Head of Department, Andrew Fry, as one of her customers and he is forced to resign. His successor, Geoffrey Chaucer, is also forced to resign after a fraud scandal. Mr Chaucer tried to blame Officer Pat Slattery for the economical irregularities but she was soon cleared. Other characters which appear at this time are the Minister for Corrective Services, James Dwyer, and intriguing prisoner Eve Wilder, on remand for the murder of her lover. Four youth criminals, Nikki Lennox, Cindy Moran, Joanna James and Lisa Snell, do a stay at Wentworth to be frightened off from crime. Terri Malone can't handle the pressure, she leaves both work at Wentworth and her relation with Joan.
Daphne Graham gets, based on her PMS-related depressions, her case retried and she is released. Her lawyer, Ben Fulbright, romances Pippa Reynolds and they are later married. May Collins and Willie Beecham get a chance to be released if they help police to catch an art burglar. They are backed up by Detective Tom Harley, but in spite of this May is shot to death. The devastated Willie is pardoned. Nora escapes and is murdered by a maniac, the retired police officer Harry Bassinger. The field is now open for Lou, who takes power and starts a rule of terror. Her main allies are Alice Jenkins (muscles) and Eve Wilder (brains). Of the Barnhurst Five, only Julie Egbert remains at Wentworth and she has developed a deep friendship with Lexie Patterson.
Biker Rita Connors is placed at Wentworth. She soon becomes a sworn enemy of both Joan and Lou. We also get to know some others in her gang, The Conquerors: Rita's boyfriend Slasher, her brother Bongo Connors, his girlfriend Rachel "Roach" Waters and biker priest Dan Moulton. At the same time as Rita, Barbie Cox arrives, she is one of the most peculiar prisoners ever, she never says anything sensible and viewers never find out what she is in for.
Jenny Hartley is released after hiring a private investigator, Howard Simmons, who finds out that greedy relatives are behind the murder of the grandmother. Lexie asks Jenny to forward a message to Lexie's foster-mother, Lady Brooke-Giddings, who though does not want to know of her. Lexie's biological mother, Jessie Windom, finds this out and lets herself be imprisoned to see her daughter. Another woman, Nancy McCormack, is also brought to Wentworth after having taken the blame for her husbands death. However it was the son, Peter McCormack, who killed the father during a family row.
Eve intrigues in all possible ways. She cons her lawyer, David Adams, so he commits suicide in despair. Joyce has overheard conversation between them. Eve attacks Joyce and tries to kill her. Eve leaves the seemingly dead Joyce, so suspicions fall on the to Wentworth returned Reb Kean. Reb is completely changed after bashing and electric treatment at Blackmoor. Doctor Steve Ryan treats Joyce who recovers. As thank, Joyce and Mervin give Steve possibility to work as handyman at Wentworth to be able to perform a study of women in prison. The suspicions against Reb fall and she is also released because of the treatment she has been objected to.
A rumour is spread about a phantom lagger among the women. Suspicions fall on Lexie and Lou decides she must be killed. Jessie's and Julie's interference saves Lexie from several murder attempts. Lexie tries to become pregnant with a garbage collector, since pregnant women usually are left in peace. Lou doesn't accept this, so Lexie finds it best to escape. She stays with Jessie's friends, but is soon in danger again because maniac Harry Bassinger tracks her down.
The frequent escapes lead to Ann being forced to take leave of absence. Her replacement is tough but fair Bob Moran. Lexie's escape and the revelation that Eve is the phantom lagger make Lou furious. She starts a riot. Eve is hanged. Julie is badly injured. Joan and Rita are put to fight to death against each other. The brave Bob almost single-handed stops the riot. He makes Rita become the new top dog after Lou. Steve saves Julie's life and they fall in love.
Rita arranges a trial against Lou and Alice, who are subjected to faked hangings. Alice goes over to Rita's gang, called The Warriors, while Lou allies with Janet Williams. Lou escapes from prison and seeks refuge with Alice's mother and brother, but they are hostile to her and she kills them both, is soon arrested and returned to Wentworth, now with a price on her head among the other prisoners. Joan gets her house vandalized by The Conquerors. She retaliates by burning down their garage, something that leads to a gangfight in which Slasher is killed.
Ann is reinstated as Governor, now with Bob as Deputy. Joan leads a strike among the officers to get Meg reinstated as Deputy. This succeeds, but thereafter Joan intrigues and is herself appointed Deputy. Bob is degraded to common officer. He also gets more trouble when a friend of him, Kath Maxwell, is on remand after killing her sick child. Since harming a child is the worst crime in the eyes of the women, she gets a very hard time at the prison.
Ann has an unlikely romance with biker priest Dan Moulton. Lexie, still at large, and Jessie who has been released manage to overpower Harry Bassinger, but the police don't believe their story, so they are both imprisoned again. Janet plans how she and Lou will escape by blackmailing Bob. The women organize a meal for Joyce and Mervin, who are to be married. The meal is interrupted when Ann announces that Lou Kelly has been found murdered in solitary.