[xallace]

or any Mass surveillance state like North Korea, China, Stalin-era Soviet Union, DDR (East Germany)

they had limited resources but high enough punishment to keep the population in check

[gerikson]

The DDR spent considerable resources on internal security.

The Stasi museum in Berlin is well worth a visit. After the Helsinki agreement to limit physical abuse, prisoners were subjected to psychological isolation instead.

Some Stasi jailers wrote academical treastises on how to handle enemies of the state.