The Crawfordsville Rotary Jail and the Panopticon

Visiting the Rotary Jail Museum for class was a refreshing change of pace for class. I probably never would have checked the museum out if it were not for this class, and I learned a lot about something I do not usually put a lot of thought into. While there are similarities between the rotary design and Foucault's "Panopticon", the goals of the design of each jail is different. Despite the fact that it is round, and there is a level of uncertainty among the prisoners when regarding they will be observed, the goal of the rotary system has less to do with observation than making it difficult to escape structurally. At any point in time, the guard can rotate the jail with the turn of a lever. He can see anything that is in front of him, and the other cells are out of sight. The inmates will always know if they are being observed by the guard though, because they can see him. He is not placed at the center, like the panopticon, but on the outside looking in. The reason for this is with only one exit, it would be in theory very difficult to escape. It may limit the guard's ability to monitor the prisoner's actions, but it also reduces the possibilities for the prisoners' escape routes. It clearly did not work perfectly, as the tour guide said once a guard was not paying close attention as he opened the gate, which resulted in him getting hit in the head and the escape of two prisoners. This would not be possible if it were more like the panopticon, where the prisoners would not know if they were being monitored, but because they could see how the guard went about his duties, they were able to formulate a successful escape plan. So, the main difference is, the gaze is not as simple as the guard's upon the unaware prisoners, but rather they are free to gaze at each other when the rotor is facing the proper direction. Each has the freedom to watch the other, and each is subject to punishment if they fail to operate as they are supposed to.