By Daniel P. Horan | National Catholic Reporter

In the late 18th century, the British philosopher Jeremy Bentham, who is largely recognized as the founder of the modern utilitarianism school of philosophical thought, sketched out the design for a new kind of prison. He called it the “panopticon,” drawing on the Greek root word panoptes meaning “all seeing.” It was an architectural proposal that sought to solve issues related to prisoner unrest, rebellion and undiscipline in a context where there were significantly fewer guards than there were prisoners.