ABSTRACT
In 1785, the philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham developed the epitome of social control, the Panopticon. Designed as a prison it allowed an observer to observe ‘all’ without the prisoners knowing. It was described as having the sentiment of invisible omniscience.1 Whilst it did not come to fruition during Bentham’s life, his design and the intentions behind it became a metaphor for the way in which modern societies continue to want both to observe and modify behaviour. Michel Foucault, in Discipline and Punish, provided the most coherent explication of this metaphor and its application to the social institutions such as psychiatry, medicine and their physical manifestations as prison and hospitals. Not only prisons, but all hierarchical structures in society like the army, the school, the hospital and the factory evolved throughout history to resemble Bentham’s Panopticon. The notoriety of the design today (although not its lasting influence in architectural realities) stems from Foucault’s famous analysis. This chapter explores the way such thinking can be seen in the legislation governing contemporary mental health services in England and Wales. The lessons, however, have international appeal.
