Press Release : Immediate Action Needed to Address Inhumane Conditions in Immigration Detention Centres
This is the second damning report in two weeks, revealing the inhumane conditions rampant in UK detention centres.
Press Release : Immediate Action Needed to Address Inhumane Conditions in Immigration Detention Centres
Date: 17th July 2024
Location: London
Recent reports from the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) on Derwentside IRC and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) on Harmondsworth IRC reveal alarming conditions at both centres. These reports underscore a pattern of neglect and mistreatment within the UK’s immigration detention system.
The IMB’s 2023 report highlights critical issues, including the remote location of Derwentside IRC, which isolates people from essential legal and social support. The report also underscores the severe mental health challenges faced by people in detention, many of whom remain in detention despite being classified as ‘adults at risk'. Moreover, essential facilities remained non-operational for more than two years after the IRC opened, further exacerbating the inhumane conditions.
However, some of the suggestions and language from this report fall short of the necessary standards. While the report touches on the remote location of Derwentside IRC,it makes problematic comparisons to men’s centers without providing concrete evidence that a different location would significantly improve access to legaladvice or communication. This issue is not unique to Derwentside; similar challenges are faced across the detention estate, including by women held in Yarl’s Wood IRC.
The IMB should advocate for alternatives to detention, emphasizing community-based solutions that allow individuals to live freely while their cases are processed.
The HMIP’s recent findings on their unannounced visit to Harmondsworth IRC corroborate these concerns, pointing to severe safety issues, inadequate mental health services, and poor living conditions. Both reports call for urgent reforms to address these systemic failures.
We demand immediate action from the Labour government to dismantle the detention industrial complex and prioritize humane alternatives to detention. The current system not only violates basic human rights but also fails to address the root causes of migration and support people seeking sanctuary.
Gee Manoharan, our Co-Director of Policy and Influencing, said:
"This is the second damning report in two weeks, revealing the inhumane conditions rampant in UK detention centres. Both Harmondsworth and Derwentside IRC highlight a disturbing pattern of neglect and inadequate environments that are unfit for anyone to be detained in. Two years since its opening, DerwentsideIRC still lacks essential facilities. The latest IMB report exposes that women at Derwentside IRC are held months beyond their authorized release dates, exacerbating their distress and vulnerability. Our visitor groups continue to witness the profound harm inflicted on those detained. Amid the current prison crisis, the Labour government chooses to ignore this ever-brewing detention industrial complex crisis, conveniently blaming it on the previous government's (Conservatives) failures. They must dismantle this system and prioritize alternatives to detention."