David Leventi documents the world's most astounding prison architecture

It’s tempting to think of prisons like the ones you remember from old movies, such as the merry lunch halls of The Blues Brothers, the solitary confinement cells of The Shawshank Redemption and the rather jovial, free-range atmosphere of The Great Escape. Fact of the matter is though, times have changed and prisons have totally evolved.

After Jeremy Bentham’s successful design of the panopticon (a large tower in the centre of a prison that enables guards to watch every prison door at once) prisons have become almost cathedral-like in their appearance. This is, perhaps, the reason behind David’s fascination with them, as if you look at his older work you will notice that large, high-ceilinged spaces are kind of his speciality. Definitely don’t miss his collection of opera houses, palaces, and theatres as well.