Cryptic crossword clue
Appoint criminal to study prison 10

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word PANOPTICON

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
P
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N
O
P
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N

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "prison" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case prison = panopticon.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does PANOPTICON mean?

PANOPTICON noun
  1. A type of prison where all the cells are visible from the center, particularly if it is not possible for someone in a cell to know if they are being watched.
  2. A room for the exhibition of novelties.

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