Panopticon Research Paper

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Pages: 3

The Panopticon, or the Panopticon penitentiary, was an architectural device conceived by Jeremy Bentham in the mid-19th century. Greek for “all-seeing”, the Panopticon was based on the underlying principle of the total and constant surveillance of inmates, workers, patients or pupils (Warriar & others, 2002). This proposed prison by Bentham is envisaged as a circular building, with the prisoners' cells arranged around the outer wall and the central point dominated by an inspection tower (UCL Bentham Project). Constant observation acted as a control mechanism; a consciousness of constant surveillance is internalized (Moya). Michel Foucault then adapted the Panopticon system from Bentham, and called it as an "ideal" or "architectural figure"