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Yarl's Wood detention centre 'no longer safe', inspectors say

HMI Prisons Yarl's Wood courtyardHMI Prisons
At the time of the inspection the centre held detainees from 48 countries

A detention centre for foreign nationals that holds men and women is no longer safe, an inspection found.

The report into Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre near Bedford found 41% of detainees felt unsafe at some time, but there was "little overt violence".

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons said he wanted to make sure detainees were "held in appropriate conditions".

The Home Office said it was "committed to ensuring detention and removals are carried out with dignity and respect".

The HM Inspectorate of Prisons report, which followed visits in June and July and was its first since 2017, noted the protest in April this year where 51 detainees refused to return to their cells and 13 had subsequently escaped.

It found the installation of razor wire, prison-style cell doors and vented windows had had an impact on detainees and there had been a "tangible change in atmosphere since our previous visit".

"The provision of activity had clearly worsened, and of even greater concern, safety outcomes were no longer sufficiently good," it said.

'Rapid action'

It found 84% of detainees had felt depressed and 44% said they had felt suicidal.

Inspectors found that lengthy and indefinite detention and the lack of information about immigration case progression were the main causes of distress.

There was also a high number of detainees who had been assessed as vulnerable, including victims of torture, but the Home Office did not always pass this information to Yarl's Wood, which limited staff's ability to keep them safe.

Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, said the inspection was "concerning".

"Rapid action is needed to make sure that the men and woman are held in more appropriate conditions and that their immigration cases are processed without delay," he said.

"Overall, while the experience for most detainees was currently adequate, we left Yarl's Wood concerned about deteriorating outcomes in a centre that was having to manage a complex and larger population of detainees, who were held for longer periods."

HMI Prisons Yarl's Wood visitor roomHMI Prisons
Yarl's Wood has a visitors room, but the report found a lack of suitable rooms for association meant men congregated in corridors, which some detainees found intimidating

The Home Office said: "The health and welfare of people in our care is of the utmost importance and we are committed to ensuring that detention and removals are carried out with dignity and respect.

"Policies and procedures are in place to safeguard vulnerable people and we remain committed to further improving these."

HMI Prisons Yarl's Wood detainee roomHMI Prisons
Yarl's Wood had 347 detainees at the time of the HMIP inspection, including 40 women who were held on a separate wing from the men

Inspectors recorded:

  • detainees from 48 countries
  • 35% of detainees were Albanian nationals
  • 12% of detainees were women
  • 20% of detainees had spent time in prison
  • 30% of detainees had been held at Yarl's Wood for less than a week
  • 4.5% had been at Yarl's Wood for more than six months
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