This brief chapter examines the historical evolution of Australia’s prison system, highlighting its roots in British colonization and the transportation of convicts between 1787 and 1868. It explores how colonial practices, socioeconomic disparities, and punitive approaches to prisoner management have shaped modern incarceration in Australia, with a particular focus on the enduring impacts on Indigenous populations. The chapter also critiques the glorification of prison ruins as colonial relics and traces the persistence of punitive over rehabilitative practices, influenced by military-styled governance. These historical insights provide a contextual foundation for understanding contemporary prison culture and systemic challenges in Australia.