Box 157 contains writings relating to Bentham's plans for a Panopticon prison to be built in London. The Panopticon was Bentham's idea for a new kind of prison where a system of surveillance would encourage the prisoners to reform their behaviour. Despite some support for his plan, Bentham's prison was ultimately never built. This was a crushing disappointment to Bentham and had a a crucial impact on his intellectual development. He felt that vested interests in the government and monarchy were deliberately blocking prison reform and came to believe that more radical political change was necessary in Britain.

The material comprises:

• Folios 1 to 4: Dumont's Traités - Droit privé; [c. 1790], 1795
• Folios 5 to 7: Poor plan - numbers [marginal outlines]; 1797
• Folios 8 to 22: Police bill - table of contents [marginals]; 1798-9
• Folio 23: Classes of trades and occupations subjected to licence duties; [c. 1798]
• Folios 24 to 36: Panopticon - inquirenda [marginals]; 1798
• Folios 37 to 46: Panopticon - management - contract [marginals]; 1798
• Folios 47 to 71: Panopticon - construction - [estimates]; 1792, 1798
• Folios 72 to 82: Panopticon - Tothill fields - [calculations]; 1796-98
• Folios 83 to 87: Panopticon - Articles of agreement between Bentham and Treasury [copy]; 1800.
• Folios 88 to 99: Panopticon - Tothill fields clause - supplementary articles; [c. 1800]
• Folios 100 to 102: Printed advertisements: 100 Sale of Millbank freehold estate, 1797; 101 Queen's Square, 1799; 102 Leasehold estate - Palmer's village, near Brewer's Green, 1800

Folios from box 157 which have already been partially or fully transcribed are listed under the progress bar below.

Box 157 Progress: Transcription begun

Untranscribed: 10
In Progress: 1
Ready For Review: 0
Completed: 255
Total: 266

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