Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre
Encyclopedia
Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre is an immigration detention
centre at Milton Ernest
in the Borough of Bedford
in Bedfordshire
. It opened on 19 November 2001 and was built to hold up to 900 people making it the largest immigration detention centre in Europe
at the time. Since opening in 2001 has been dogged by controversy. In February 2002, it was gutted through a fire, reopening in September 2003. Throughout its operational period a number of hunger strikes and riots have occurred there. On 11 January 2011, the High Court
ruled that the continued detention of the children of failed asylum seekers at Yarl's Wood is unlawful.
It is operated by the Serco Group
.
began with twenty five Roma detainees refusing to eat.
In May 2007, it was reported that there was a hunger strike involving over 100 women.
On February 4, 2010, a hunger strike began with a number of women protesting their indefinite detention. One hunger striker had been held for 15 months. The hunger strike was escalated when, according to a Guardian
report, "70 women taking part in a protest were locked in an airless corridor without water or toilet facilities."
, the building was burnt down following a protest by the detainees. This was triggered by someone being physically restrained by staff. When the fires started the Head of Group 4 security ordered all staff to exit the building, locking the detainees inside the timber framed building. Five people were injured in the fire.. Although there was an investigation, no members of Group 4 were ever prosecuted.
In March 2004, the Prisons and Probations Ombudsman published a report into allegations of racism, abuse and violence, based on 19 claims made by an undercover reporter for the Daily Mirror. The report found evidence of a number of racist incidents, although noted that staff had been disciplined following publication of the journalists findings, and that an allegation of assault had not been properly investigated.
In October 2004, the prisons and probations ombudsman published an inquiry into the disturbance and fire in 2001. One of its main findings was that the provision of sprinklers could have prevented the damage caused.
In February 2005, a local fire chief alleged that the lessons had not been learnt as it was announced that there were no plans to introduce sprinklers.
In February 2006, the Chief Inspector of Prisons published an inquiry into the quality of health care at Yarl's Wood. It found substantial gaps in provision and identified 134 recommendations.
A 2006 Legal Action for Women (LAW)http://www.allwomencount.net/EWC%20LAW/womenagainstlaw.htm investigation into Yarl’s Wood Removal Centre found that: 70% of women had reported rape, nearly half had been detained for over three months. 57% had no legal representation, and 20% had lawyers who demanded payment in advance. Women reported sexual and racial intimidation by guards. LAW’s Self-Help Guide has been confiscated by guards depriving detainees of information about their rights.
In April 2009, the Children's Commissioner for England published a report which stated that children held in the detention centre are denied urgent medical treatment, handled violently and left at risk of serious harm. The report details how children are transported in caged vans, and watched by opposite-sex staff as they dress.
This follows earlier allegations in 2005 by the Chief Inspector of Prisons that children were being damaged by being held in the institution, citing in particular an autistic five year old who had not eaten properly in several days.
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 at Milton Ernest
Milton Ernest
Milton Ernest is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England, and is about north of Bedford itself. It has a population of 754...
in the Borough of Bedford
Bedford (borough)
Bedford is a unitary authority with the status of a borough in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. Its council is based at Bedford, which is also the county town of Bedfordshire. The borough contains a single urban area, the 69th largest in the United Kingdom that comprises Bedford and...
in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
. It opened on 19 November 2001 and was built to hold up to 900 people making it the largest immigration detention centre in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
at the time. Since opening in 2001 has been dogged by controversy. In February 2002, it was gutted through a fire, reopening in September 2003. Throughout its operational period a number of hunger strikes and riots have occurred there. On 11 January 2011, the High Court
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
ruled that the continued detention of the children of failed asylum seekers at Yarl's Wood is unlawful.
It is operated by the Serco Group
Serco Group
Serco Group plc is a government services company based in Hook, North Hampshire in the United Kingdom. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
.
Hunger strikes
In December 2001 just after opening the first 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...
began with twenty five Roma detainees refusing to eat.
In May 2007, it was reported that there was a hunger strike involving over 100 women.
On February 4, 2010, a hunger strike began with a number of women protesting their indefinite detention. One hunger striker had been held for 15 months. The hunger strike was escalated when, according to a Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
report, "70 women taking part in a protest were locked in an airless corridor without water or toilet facilities."
February 2002 fire
In early February 2002 while under the management of Brodie ClarkBrodie Clark
Robert Brodie Clark CBE is a British civil servant, and former head of the UK Border Force, a part of the UK Border Agency.-HM Prison Service:...
, the building was burnt down following a protest by the detainees. This was triggered by someone being physically restrained by staff. When the fires started the Head of Group 4 security ordered all staff to exit the building, locking the detainees inside the timber framed building. Five people were injured in the fire.. Although there was an investigation, no members of Group 4 were ever prosecuted.
Death of Manuel Bravo
In September 2005 Manuel Bravo, an asylum seeker from Angola, hanged himself while in detention awaiting deportation with his 13 year old son following a dawn raid at his home in Leeds.Inquiries into provision at Yarl's Wood
A September 2003 report by the inspector of Prisons, found that provision at Yarl's Wood was "not safe".In March 2004, the Prisons and Probations Ombudsman published a report into allegations of racism, abuse and violence, based on 19 claims made by an undercover reporter for the Daily Mirror. The report found evidence of a number of racist incidents, although noted that staff had been disciplined following publication of the journalists findings, and that an allegation of assault had not been properly investigated.
In October 2004, the prisons and probations ombudsman published an inquiry into the disturbance and fire in 2001. One of its main findings was that the provision of sprinklers could have prevented the damage caused.
In February 2005, a local fire chief alleged that the lessons had not been learnt as it was announced that there were no plans to introduce sprinklers.
In February 2006, the Chief Inspector of Prisons published an inquiry into the quality of health care at Yarl's Wood. It found substantial gaps in provision and identified 134 recommendations.
A 2006 Legal Action for Women (LAW)http://www.allwomencount.net/EWC%20LAW/womenagainstlaw.htm investigation into Yarl’s Wood Removal Centre found that: 70% of women had reported rape, nearly half had been detained for over three months. 57% had no legal representation, and 20% had lawyers who demanded payment in advance. Women reported sexual and racial intimidation by guards. LAW’s Self-Help Guide has been confiscated by guards depriving detainees of information about their rights.
In April 2009, the Children's Commissioner for England published a report which stated that children held in the detention centre are denied urgent medical treatment, handled violently and left at risk of serious harm. The report details how children are transported in caged vans, and watched by opposite-sex staff as they dress.
This follows earlier allegations in 2005 by the Chief Inspector of Prisons that children were being damaged by being held in the institution, citing in particular an autistic five year old who had not eaten properly in several days.