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Although it fascinates me, the 1785 conceptual prison design by the English philosopher Jeremy Bentham is an idea of imprisonment that I have not pursued.

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In his Proposal for a New and Less Expensive mode of Employing and Reforming Convicts, 1798, Bentham said of his prison:

"A building circular... The prisoners in their cells, occupying the circumference - The officers in the centre. By blinds and other contrivances, the inspectors concealed... from the observation of the prisoners: hence the sentiment of a sort of omnipresence - The whole circuit reviewable with little or... without any, change of place. One station in the inspection part affording the most perfect view of every cell."

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Bentham's parti for the prison was cells under constant surveilance, and a feeling of "omnipresence." My idea for my prison is similar, in that there is a constant and overwhelming force, but opposite, as this force is the all-encompassing and empty ocean. The prisoner is not always being watched, but instead reminded that they are alone and forgotten.

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The 1814 exile of the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte I has more to do with my idea than Bentham's Panopticon. Following his defeat and the occupation of Paris, a number of European leaders exiled Napoleon to the island of Elba, off the coast of Italy. He was allowed to keep the title of 'emperor,' but his empire was restricted to the tiny island.

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What influenced me about this situation is that he was not truly imprisoned and tortured, but only confined to the island. His house on Elba (above) shows this; it appears to be a standard domestic home. He was not made to physically suffer in a cell. Instead, his exile and suffering was psychological; giving him good living conditions and the title of 'emperor,' but keeping him confined to the island and surrounded by the ocean, so he is aware of his isolation.

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References

Napoleon TEXT: France.com. "Napoleon I of France." www.france.com/docs/364.html (accessed May 21, 2010)

Panopticon IMAGE: 'iRevolution.' http://irevolution.wordpress.com/2009/08/ (accessed May 21, 2010)

Napoleon IMAGES: Wikipedia. "Elba."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elba (accessed May 21, 2010)