Panopticism

Panopticism is a concept of French philosopher Michel Foucault originally appearing in his book, Discipline and Punishment.

Summary

A Panopticon is a building structured in a circle with an observation tower in the center surrounded by an outer wall made up of cells for the incarceration or mental patients or convicts. The purpose of the design is to increase the security through the effectiveness of the survillance. The convict cannot see the other inmates through the concrete walls and is flooded with light so that everything he does can be observed by the central tower.

In Discipline and Punishment, Foucault builds on the idea of a panopticon as conceptualized by Bentham, and elaborates upon the function of discipline in the prison, and disciplinary mechanisms in every day society, as to illustrate the function of discipline as an apparatus of power

Examples in modern society

A central idea to Foucault’s Panopticism is the systematic ordering and controlling of human populations through subtle and often unseen forces. This is apparent in many parts of the modernized world. Modern advances in technology and surveillance techniques have made Foucault’s theories all the more pertinent to any scrutiny of the relationship between the state and its population.

Increased surveillance cameras have the effect of reminding us however, of the little use of "panoptic" mechanisms on the part of liberal democracies. It could also be argued that increased surveillance technologies are unecessary in the face of diciplinary mechanisms as illustrated by Foucault's Panapoicism. Foucault argues that Jeremy Bentham's Panopticon provides us with a model in which a disciplined society has been able to develop. These disciplines are essential if we are to govern ourselves, without the constant surveillance and intervention by state apparatuses in every aspect of our lives. The extent to which the state can observe everywhere is limited.

If discoursive mechanisms can control and modify the body of discussion within a certain space (to the benefit of a certain class/the government/security), then there no longer remains the point of having an active agent, keep the same power under the immediacy of violence.

England and Wales

The use of photographic surveillance began in 1913 with the surreptitious taking of pictures from disguised locations of the suffragette inmates of Holloway Prison. The first use on record of camera surveillance in public space was that of the Metropolitan Police at Trafalgar Square in 1960. They used two temporary cameras to monitor crowds during the arrival of the Thai royal family and on Guy Fawkes Day. Between 1960 and 1996, the proliferation of the closed circuit system resulted in government spending on it accounting for more than three-quarters of the total crime prevention budget and a mass demonstration against camera surveillance in Brighton in May 1997. Over the next few years, face and license plate recognition was installed in key positions in London. With the recent 7/7 bombings, the effectiveness of the CCTV system has come under scrutiny, with emerging reports showing little or no deterrence of overall crime in London.

United States

New York City has recently stated ambitions to create its very own 'ring of steel', very much similar to that surrounding London. It would surround 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²) of Lower Manhattan and cost $90 million. As of August 2007, the city had raised about $25 million. As in the case of the already installed camera security system in London, its ostensible effectiveness is continually under question.

References

• Foucault, Foucault (1995). Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the Prison. New York: Vintage Books. Retrieved 2008-06-15.