Punishment (10 Network Prison Drama, Barry Crocker, Mel Gibson)

Prison drama series Punishment was a male counterpart to Prisoner telling often brutal stories of the staff and inmates of Longbridge Prison.

Superintendent Alan Smith (Barry Crocker) was governor of the jail, Jack Hudson was chief officer; Larry Morrison (Mike Preston) was a recidivist prisoner whilst Paul Wells (Michael Smith) was in prison for the first time (his Dad Sam (Brian Harrison) also happened to be in the same prison).

To get away from the often quite grim goings on in the prison there was a lot of scenes of the officers home lives and the convicts families and so on.

The set, built at the Channel 10 studio’s, cost some $85,000. A then unknown Mel Gibson was a semi regular in the series. Many of the stories featured were based on real cases.

Cast: Barry Crocker as Governor Alan Smith; Ken Wayne as Chief Officer Jack Hudson; Michael Smith as Paul Wells; Brian Harrison as Sam Wells; Brian Wenzel as Wally Webber; Mike Preston as Larry Morrison; James C. Steele; Ross Thompson; David Spencer; Arthur Sherman; Julie Mcgregor as Julie Smith; Mel Gibson

Australian / 10 Network-Grundy / x50 minute episode / From 21 February 1981