In 1870 female prisoners from Brisbane were relocated to Toowoomba, principal town on the Darling Downs. The move angered townspeople who suspected that political reprisal was the motive for imposing the 'terrible women' on them. In fact, the relocation was primarily an attempt to solve longstanding problems related to prison labour, and especially the control of male labour. The movement of prisoners provides a penological perspective on social and economic conflicts that were played out at regional and metropolitan levels. There has been little written about penal politics in Australia in the second half of the nineteenth century. This article explores the political intersections that determined the evolution of one penal regime, but the issues are of perennial significance to the field of penal studies. The study points to the importance of investigating public reaction to prison policy and exploring political, economic and social particularities in correctional history.