Campsfield House
Encyclopedia
Campsfield House is a privately run Immigration detention
Centre near Oxford
, England
. It has been the site of a number of protests from human rights
campaigners and has seen a number of hunger strike
s and one suicide. The former Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
condemned conditions at Campsfield House in a 2004 report.
Protests at conditions in the centre have sparked a number of hunger strikes and disturbances.
GEO organise a free minibus to take people between Oxford railway station
and Campsfield House. (See Zero-fare public transport
for more info.)
for three days.
In August 2008, 13 Iraqi Kurds went on hunger strike and were joined by up a number of others.
On 3 August 2010, over 100 detainees went on hunger strike in protest at being held for up to three years "no prospect of removal or any evidence of future release".
had been detained for about 6 months, and had made three unsuccessful bail applications.
On 14 June 2008 a series of small fires broke out at the centre. 10 fire engines, 12 police vehicles and a police helicopter were dispatched to the centre, and a police cordon set up, at the request of the UK Border Agency, to secure the perimeter which is not believed to have been breached.
. The Campaign to Close Campsfield holds monthly demonstrations outside the premises, using the slogan 'Asylum seekers are not criminals'. They also publish the Campsfield Monitor which gives detainees accounts of what is happening inside the centre.
In the 2010 General Election, Aaron Barschak
ran as an independent candidate in the Witney
constituency against David Cameron
to highlight the plight of Asylum Seekers and the treatment of people in Campsfield House. . At the count he wore a sign around his neck which read "Close Campsfield House".
Immigration detention
Immigration detention is the policy of holding individuals suspected of visa violations, illegal entry or unauthorised arrival, and those subject to deportation and removal in detention until a decision is made by immigration authorities to grant a visa and release them into the community, or to...
Centre near Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It has been the site of a number of protests from human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
campaigners and has seen a number of hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
s and one suicide. The former Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons is the head of HM Inspectorate of Prisons and the senior inspector of prisons, young offender institutions and immigration service detention and removal centres in England and Wales...
condemned conditions at Campsfield House in a 2004 report.
Protests at conditions in the centre have sparked a number of hunger strikes and disturbances.
History
Campsfield House used to be a youth detention centre, but it re-opened as an Immigration Detention Centre in November 1993. It originally had 200 places for both male and female detainees, however in 1997, capacity was reduced to 184 and the centre became male only. Capacity has now risen to around 215 bed spaces. Although the detainee population initially consisted of asylum seekers, since June 2006 new government policy has seen the population change to mainly (an average of 80%) former HMP prisoners. Campsfield is run by the American company GEO who are responsible for immigration detention centres in the U.S, Australia and South Africa. Campsfield House is their first European contract.GEO organise a free minibus to take people between Oxford railway station
Oxford railway station
Oxford railway station is a mainline railway station serving the city of Oxford, England. It is about west of the city centre, northwest of Frideswide Square and the eastern end of Botley Road, and on the line linking with . It is also on the line for trains between and Hereford via...
and Campsfield House. (See Zero-fare public transport
Zero-fare public transport
Free public transport, also often called free public transit or zero-fare public transport, is a single or network of transport services funded in full by means other than collecting a full fare from passengers. It may be funded by national, regional or local government through taxation or by...
for more info.)
Conditions
Detainees at Campsfield House are held behind a 20 feet (6.1 m) razor wire–topped fence. Throughout the centre there are surveillance cameras, and friends and relatives wishing to visit detainees are searched before passing through five separate remote-controlled doors. Detainees are allowed the use of mobile phones and the establishment can achieve contact through these. Campsfield House is not categorised in the same way as HMP prisons, and would fall short of category 'C' standard. Security of the centre is maintained by large perimeter fences, but within the establishment detainees are relatively free to roam. As opposed to cells detainees have two or three man rooms and communal shower and toilet facilities. There are around fifteen single rooms. The doors to rooms are never locked, however the gates to the three accommodation blocks are locked between midnight and six in the morning. Detainees are free to move around the blocks during this time. This relatively relaxed regime, coupled with the new influx of ex HMP prisoners has led to difficulty in maintaining discipline at Campsfield.Hunger strikes
On the 22nd of June, 2005 a group of six Zimbabwean asylum seekers went on hunger strikeHunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
for three days.
In August 2008, 13 Iraqi Kurds went on hunger strike and were joined by up a number of others.
On 3 August 2010, over 100 detainees went on hunger strike in protest at being held for up to three years "no prospect of removal or any evidence of future release".
Suicide
On 27 June 2005, Campsfield detainee Ramazan Komluca, committed suicide, the 19 year old from TurkeyTurkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
had been detained for about 6 months, and had made three unsuccessful bail applications.
Fires and disturbances
In March 2007, there was a riot at the centre after staff used force to remove a detainee from his room.On 14 June 2008 a series of small fires broke out at the centre. 10 fire engines, 12 police vehicles and a police helicopter were dispatched to the centre, and a police cordon set up, at the request of the UK Border Agency, to secure the perimeter which is not believed to have been breached.
Opposition to Campsfield House
The initial establishment of an immigration detention centre at Campsfield House was opposed by the local parish council, however they were overruled by the Home OfficeHome Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
. The Campaign to Close Campsfield holds monthly demonstrations outside the premises, using the slogan 'Asylum seekers are not criminals'. They also publish the Campsfield Monitor which gives detainees accounts of what is happening inside the centre.
In the 2010 General Election, Aaron Barschak
Aaron Barschak
Aaron Alexander Barschak styles himself as a "comedy terrorist" and fringe UK politician. In 2003, he attracted media attention by surreptitiously joining Prince William's 21st birthday party.-Background:...
ran as an independent candidate in the Witney
Witney
Witney is a town on the River Windrush, west of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England.The place-name 'Witney' is first attested in a Saxon charter of 969 as 'Wyttannige'; it appears as 'Witenie' in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name means 'Witta's island'....
constituency against David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
to highlight the plight of Asylum Seekers and the treatment of people in Campsfield House. . At the count he wore a sign around his neck which read "Close Campsfield House".
Further reading
- Mass escape from detention centre BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
5 August 2007. "Police arrested 12 of the detainees shortly after the mass escape. ... Police are looking for [another] 14 asylum seekers who escaped from a detention centre after a fire was started there." - Campsfield's troubled history BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, 6 August 2007, "There has been a long campaign to close Campsfield House. ... The escape of 26 detainees from Campsfield House in Oxfordshire is the latest in a series of disturbances to hit the immigration removals centre."