Panopticon

I think the concept of the prisoners never knowing if there being watched is only half effective. We as humans all face the fear of the unknown, but that doesn't stop of from continuing to live our lives and face the unknown. I find it hard to believe that none of the prisoners (people who are already known to deviate from society's rules) wouldn't test the level of watchfulness of the guards. All it takes is one prisoner to realize they aren't being watched as closely as they thought they were for all hell to break loose. I have watched tons of prison shows and it is amazing to see how creative prisoners are with what they have. Prisoners are great innovators in the field of art and technology. They can make blades out of toothbrushes or sell meth on greeting cards. The word probably got out quickly through the prison that they could continue to cause trouble under the radar. This would especially make sense because although the circular shape helps the watchers, the same circle shape also promotes communication from one prisoner to another.