Jeremy Bentham

Jeremy Bentham was a philosopher and an author who strongly believed in a political system of Utilitarianism, the idea that the best laws for society are those that benefit the largest number of people. He felt that every action any person took should be judged by how it aided or harmed the general public as a whole.

Bentham is known for many accomplishments throughout his life. He produced a large body of writing that influenced and supported Utilitarian theories, was a co-founder of the important "Westminster Review" publication, helped to establish the University of London, and devised a unique type of prison known as the Panopticon.

Although Bentham opposed many of the laws of his time, he felt that any person or group who carried out acts that were detrimental to society should be punished with imprisonment. He worked on a concept for a prison in which the guards would be able to monitor every prisoner at any time, but the prisoners would not be able to tell when or if they were being watched. His theory was that if those who were locked up felt that they might be under constant surveillance, it would have a positive effect on their behavior. Since the prisoners would never be certain if armed guards were watching them at any given time, they would be forced to become model prisoners out of fear of retribution.

The prison that Bentham conceived of was never built, but many architects felt it was a worthwhile and beneficial design concept. Not only would the very layout of the facility help keep the inmates in line, it was also designed to require fewer guards which would save money. Through the years there have been many prisons that utilized designs based on Bentham's concepts, but he was always strongly disappointed that his actual prison model was never built.

When Bentham passed away in 1832, he had his body preserved and displayed in a custom designed cabinet he called the "Auto-Icon." He is considered by many to be the "Father of Utilitarianism" to this day.

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