Graeme Wood of The Atlantic gets it: the combination of drug-testing and position-monitoring technology with a swift, predictable sanctions process means that Bentham’s Panopticon no longer requires beds, walls, or guards. Virtually any offender who is willing to play along can be adequately punished and incapacitated without entirely depriving him of liberty and without paying his room-and-board bill. Wood is also aware that the whole thing could get ugly unless it’s managed with a sense of proportion.
Update Bay Area reporter Jude Joffre-Block wore an anklet for a week to find out what it was like.