The latter part of the 1960s saw a general move towards humanization of prisons throughout Australia. This quickly led to the rehabilitation era of the 1970s, followed by a return to the reestablishment of security and custody in the 1980s (stricter control over prisoners). Simultaneously, fuller expression of the individual rights of prisoners has occurred. Also with a significant increase in Commonwealth prisoners, mainly relating to the importing of drugs, Commonwealth authorities have become increasingly concerned about the discrepancies which exist between State jurisdictions and have recommended legislation to correct them. Due to a combination of challenges from management, prisoner, and community groups, the rights of prisoners are being clearly enunciated, and prison managers are challenging aspects of prison life to ensure that these rights are protected. Prison unions will need to be dealt with in the future, and management will need to negotiate new written agreements with prison officer unions which clearly delineate the respective roles of the management and unions. Prisons themselves are outdated and totally inadequate for modern management needs; prisons will need to be designed to cater for the present needs while predicting the needs of the future. While expenditure on buildings and training is a priority, funds available to the Australian criminal justice system are being increasingly allocated to committees of enquiry and research to find viable alternatives to imprisonment. An appendix sets forth the basic principles and objectives for the management of prisoners in Australia.