[cardiffspaceman]

I was reminded of the panopticon [1] prison design paradigm. The rotary controls the prisoners physically by only allowing one cell door to be open at once, while the panopticon doesn't necessarily limit how many doors are open at once. The rotary jail doesn't make it easier to watch the prisoners, while the panopticon allows the wardens to convince the wards that they are always watched.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panopticon

[andromeduck]

You could in theory combine the two with the cells arranged in a rotating barrel.

[agency]

The inventor called it "a mill for grinding rogues honest"