🎥 Foucault: The Panopticon

Question 1

Foucault: The Panopticon

Answer 1

In today’s society people engage
in self-surveillance. We are also
under electronic surveillance.
Surveillance has become an
increasingly important form of
crime control.

Question 2

Foucault: The Panopticon -
The panopticon

Answer 2

A prison designed so that
guards could see all prisoners,
but prisoners did not know if
they were being watched or
not.

Question 3

Foucault: The Panopticon -
Self-surveillance

Answer 3

Prisoners had to assume they
were being watched and behave
properly just in case.

Question 4

Foucault: The Panopticon -
Disciplinary power

Answer 4

Foucault argues this design is
now everywhere in society and
disciplinary power and self-
surveillance now reaches every
individual.

Question 5

Mathieson: Synoptic Surveillance

Answer 5

As well as surveillance from
above, we are now surveilled
from below as well – everybody watches everybody.

Question 6

Mathieson: Synoptic Surveillance

Example

Answer 6

Motorists cyclists can monitor
the behaviour of others with
dashcams or helmet cameras.
This may change the behaviour
of others – they exercise self-
discipline

Question 7

Actuarial Justice and Profiling

Answer 7

Comes from the insurance industry – an actuary is someone who calculates
the risk of certain events happening
e.g. how likely it is for your house to
be burgled

Question 8

Feeley and Simon

Answer 8

Actuarial justice is a new form of
surveillance. It aims to predict and
prevent future offending. It uses
statistical information to reduce crime by compiling profiles of likely
offenders.

Question 9

Surveillance Theories - strengths

Answer 9

• Foucault’s work has led to more research into surveillance and disciplinary power – especially the idea of an electronic panopticon
• Researchers have identified other
  forms of surveillance such as actuarial justice and profiling

Question 10

Surveillance Theories - limitations

Answer 10

• Foucault exaggerates the extent of
  control e.g Goffman shows how some inmates of prisons and mental
  hospitals resist controls
• Surveillance may not change people’s behaviour as Foucault claims. E.g. studies show that CCTV may fail to prevent crime because offenders often take no notice of it

Question 11

General Criticisms of Sociological Theories

The underlying
causes

Answer 11

Sociologists disagree with each
other about the causes of
crime

Question 12

General Criticisms of Sociological Theories

Overprediction

Answer 12

Don’t explain why not every
disadvantaged person turns to
crime

Question 13

General Criticisms of Sociological Theories

Biological and Psychological factor

Answer 13

Neglect factors that might
explain why one person might
turn to crime but another
person in the same social
position might not