The Perfect Prison that Became a Nightmare

Just off Cuba’s southern coast, lies an island with a dark secret. Isla de la Juventud—once known for its pirates, parrots, and legendary treasures—now hides a hulking, decaying fortress. This is Presidio Modelo, Cuba’s perfect prison turned perfect nightmare.

Built to embody a radical vision of reform, Presidio Modelo became an architectural experiment in control, where the very walls conspired against the men they contained.

Five towering, circular cell blocks loom over the island’s landscape, remnants of a place designed to make prisoners believe they were always being watched. But what began as a symbol of progress quickly spiraled into something darker—a place of torment, overcrowding, and brutal political repression.

Today, the prison is abandoned, its towers now rusted and crumbling, haunted by the ghosts of those who suffered within its walls. Yet, this broken monument holds a powerful story—one that connects an English philosopher’s dream of societal reform to the tragic history of Cuba’s violent revolution. The perfect prison was never meant to exist. But it did...

[cgraham]

How fitting that the design of a workplace would inspire the design of a prison.

[sbalsamo]

My father is an architect who designed an annex of Statesville Prison in Illinois in the US. (It’s where murderer Richard Speck was housed but in the old section.) He had to learn all about the rules regarding how inmates could be monitored and moved, view each other, interact, etc. It was an interesting project for him but at the same time the realization of what being in a prison - even his prison - was like was hard. He also really got hit on when he walked through the units. He wasn’t prepared.
Great video. I wish you continued success.

[BaccarWozat]

Jeremy Bentham has a descendant also named Jeremy Bentham, whose main claim to fame is that he's watched a TV show called Doctor Who since the first episode in 1963 and could thus consult with the show's production team on its continuity, at a time when production teams didn't care about that sort of thing.
But where this becomes totally bizarre is, the Fourth Doctor (played by Tom Baker) occasionally visited his home planet Gallifrey... whose main citadel had a large room in the middle called... the Panopticon.

[elizabethebbighausen]

The title music will never get old. So iconic! 💜

[staceytroffer]

Yes it’s possible. Check out the Scandinavian versions of prison reform. Impressive!. both Sweden and Norway have amazingly low recidivism rates. The level 4 prisoners quickly drop down to level 2 within those models of learning and humane treatment.

[Ziangal]

Guardians of the Galaxy used this in the first movie, the Kiln prison featured a penopticon design.

[Taonaok]

I love a neat little presentation. Thanks for being so informative for all these years.

[SuperM]

Definitely some elites out there with private prison like this

[GhostICN]

Audio effects are way louder than the narration this video 😢

[kevinjohnbetts]

I think Orwell's '1984' describes the perfect prison.

[someOldBaldguy]

Crazy to say keeping a criminal under constant surveillance is inhumane but we tell children Santa is always watching…

[hodgeman]

When listening to this I also thought about how it's happening digitally and once people don't have autonomy they won't be cowed like the ones in charge think, it will just breed distrust, dissent and rebellion.

[seizuresalad]

As always brother, great video. How you word and convey such information is always immaculate. Thanks broski; you are appreciated.

[multipletanksyndrome]

If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear, except fear itself, or something.

[leannwinter]

The systems used on this world now will crumble under the weight of its own cruelty! Great statement!

[MrSomethingElse]

I know this story well but couldn't resist hearing your take on it, well done, as always

[smokeyp]

Good stuff! Reminds me of old school Dark 5!! Flame on sir!🎉

[xsailor]

Please bring back the original Dark 5 title screen & theme song please.

[arashiko]

I am a correctional officer. This prison design is awesome and if it was done correctly for rehabilitation and reducing crime. But as is everything, ruined by corruption. Now you could do this design 2 ways. Lifers who will never live outside a prison and make it a pure lockdown prison. Or make it where the tiers equal privileges and the lower to the ground they get the bigger the cell and more privileges. Safety would be easy to handle at some points for staff and inmates alike.

[ryanfuge]

Hello dark 5...longtime fan, follower! Keep up the great work! 3rd to comment