From 1833 until 1877, the convict settlement of Port Arthur, Australia housed some of Britain’s most hardened criminals. Located on the island of Tasmania off Australia’s southern coast, the outpost was billed as an “inescapable prison” due to its high security, natural defenses, and total isolation. Port Arthur also played host to Separate Prison, an infamous institution where physical punishment was replaced by psychological discipline. Prisoners were identified by number, wore hoods while in each other’s company, and sometimes spent days without seeing light or hearing a sound. It’s no wonder, then, that an asylum stood next door and a nearby island, known as the Isle of the Dead, served as a prison burial ground for more than a thousand souls. In its day, Separate Prison was not seen as barbaric—in fact it was believed to be enlightened. The institution’s design stemmed from English philosopher Jeremy Bentham’s theory of the Panopticon—a building that allowed all inmates to be observed at once by a single watchman. In the case of Separate Prison, this resulted in a cross-shaped building that allowed watchmen at the core to see down each wing. Corporal punishment was viewed as counterproductive at Separate Prison, serving only to harden criminals rather than rehabilitate them. Instead, inmates were kept in line with forced social, visual, auditory isolation. The institution used the “Silent System,” in which all inmates remained quiet at all times and wore hoods or masks when not in their cells. In theory, this was intended to give prisoners time to reflect upon their crimes—in actuality, however, it had far darker consequences. Many inmates reportedly developed mental illnesses from the seclusion, while others are said to have committed the capital offense of murder in order to escape incarceration via the death penalty.