The iconic cultural depiction of a police interrogation room provides a perfect modern day example of the panoptic architectural environment outlined by Michel Foucault. A simple and straight forward room that is tight for space, plain magnolia in colour and very minimalistic in terms of furnishing or decoration; inclusive of the fine selection of closed-circuit television cameras scattered about the wall space.
Supporting Foucault's suggestion that 'visibility is a trap' it could be argued that the intense monitoring of the interrogation room is in the best interests of the public and/or the victim on the receiving end of the crime. A conjured up scenario going under the guise of protecting the principals of law enforcement as a means to obtain a correct version of events that subsequently ensure the supply of uncorrupted or unbiased data; a factor enhanced by the seclusion of the suspected individual(s) that produces a state in which 'there is no danger of contagion; if they are madmen there is no risk of them committing violence, there is no copying, no noise, no chatter, no waste of time'. (Foucault in Thomas, 2000 pg80).
The inferred culmination of this purpose would be to restore order and justice. In reality however it may be fair to suggest that 'thanks to its mechanisms of observation, [the interrogation process] gains in efficiency and in the ability to penetrate into men's behaviour; knowledge follows the advances of power'. (Foucault in Thomas, 2000 pgs84-85). Ultimately the evidence deduced is just a mere side-product reflective to that of the scenario in which the 'interviewee' has been subjected.
Asides from the already present CCTV camera set-up, the probable presence of a two-way mirror also acts as a tool that assists in ensuring that the suspected perpetrator of the crime is confined within a space where 'he is seen, but he does not see'. (Foucault in Thomas, 2000 pg80).
'This enclosed, segmented space, observed at every point, in which the individuals are inserted in a fixed place, in which the slightest movements are supervised, in which all events are recorded' (Foucault in Thomas, 2000 pgs77-78) all contribute to a perfect model of power where self regulation functions automatically due to fear; the panopticon internalizes in the individual the conscious state that he is always being watched; and it is through this that the media avidly portray scenes where the protagonist is left unsupervised to self-reflect and/or self-regulate in the hope that they will succumb to the powers of panopticon and re-consider the information that they wish to provide. The 'inspection functions ceaselessly. The gaze is alert everywhere'. (Foucault in Thomas, 2000 pg76).
References:
'Panopticism' in Thomas, J. (2000) 'Reading Images', NY, Palgrave McMillan.
'The Matrix' (1999) Directed and written by Andy Wachowski & Larry Wachowski, UK.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D7cPH7DHgA
15th November, 2009.
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