IAPDC calls for “watershed moment for change” following Brook House inquiry report
The report into the Brook House inquiry reveals a “toxic” environment in which shocking levels of abuse, humiliation, and disregard for detained persons’ vulnerabilities were not only tolerated, but allowed to thrive. Detained persons experienced inappropriate use of force, dehumanising and racist language, and a lack of basic care and empathy. The report must now be a watershed moment for change to ensure individuals across the immigration detention estate are kept safe and treated with dignity.
Individuals held in immigration detention are likely to be particularly vulnerable to mental ill health due to exposure to trauma and the indefinite nature of their detention. A “prison-like” environment, such as the report found prevailed at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre (IRC), can exacerbate these vulnerabilities and put individuals at greater risk of suicide and self-harm. A recent visit to Brook House IRC by IAPDC Chair Lynn Emslie highlighted the deep frustration felt by detainees due to the uncertain nature of their detention. The death of Frank Ospina, who recently took his own life at Colnbrook IRC, and reports of attempted suicide by other detainees following his death, is a tragic reminder of the detrimental impact detention can have on mental health.
Robust systems to safeguard vulnerable persons and to rapidly secure their release where required are essential. Yet the report found that the safeguarding system was “dysfunctional” in a number of areas and that staff, including medical professionals, disregarded adherence to and implementation of vital safeguards for vulnerable persons, including under the Assessment Care in Detention and Teamwork framework, the Adults at Risk policy, and Detention Centre Rules 34 and 35. This is unacceptable and an indictment on those with ultimate responsibility for safeguarding the welfare of detained persons.
The IAPDC is concerned that much of this reflects the prevailing position across the immigration detention estate today, as for example highlighted by a report by the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration earlier this year and findings in recent His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prison’s IRC inspection reports. The IAPDC is deeply concerned that expansion of the immigration detention estate following the coming into force of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 will further exacerbate these problems. Without urgent and sustained leadership and action to tackle these problems, there is a very real risk of deaths in custody.
The IAPDC welcomes the commitments to learning the lessons of Brook House previously given by the Home Office, but - as the report advises - the inquiry recommendations must be met with more than lip-service. The findings of the report reflect a longer-term failure to act upon recommendations made in reports over many years, including the 2016 report by Stephen Shaw on the welfare in detention of vulnerable persons. It must not take another report, public inquiry, or death for the Home Office to now act. The safety of detainees must urgently be made a priority for leadership and staff at all levels both in policy and practice. The IAPDC will be engaging with Ministers and the Home Office regarding its response to the inquiry’s report and recommendations, including in order to seek assurance of the robustness and resourcing of its current monitoring and oversight of the relevant safeguarding systems.