Numerous riots and disturbances occurred at Fremantle Prison over its years of operation. Constructed in the 1850s using convict labor and modeled after Pentonville Gaol, Fremantle Prison served as Western Australia's primary maximum security facility for male offenders. Despite some reforms prompted by Royal Commissions in 1898−99 and 1911, substantial changes to the prison's operation didn't commence until the 1960s. Among the earliest incidents was one in 1854, while major riots took place in 1968 and 1988, causing significant damage to the prison.