Monitors again question immigration centre’s location

In its second annual report, published on 17 July 2024, the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) at Derwentside IRC again highlights the isolated and remote location of the women’s immigration centre, and its inadequate communications infrastructure, as matters of concern. The monitors, who visit the centre every week, report that many of the women detained at Derwentside are vulnerable, and suffering with mental health issues, and yet they are subjected to lengthy and frequent journeys, sometimes at night. The IMB describes this treatment as being, in some respects, inhumane; at the very least it is unequal to the provision for men, as male detention centres are located much closer to principal airports. 

The IMB reports that during 2023:

• Vulnerable women were held in detention beyond their authorised release because of difficulties in obtaining or approving suitable accommodation; in some cases this lasted for months.
• Two years after the centre opened, important facilities were still not available. This includes the care suites, which has resulted in those at risk of suicide being under constant supervision on residential units.
• The provision for education and other purposeful activities was reduced and, in the IMB’s view, no longer adequate.

However, the IMB also reports that:

• They witnessed many kind and empathetic interactions between staff and detained women.
• There were many examples of positive multi-disciplinary working in order to achieve good outcomes, particularly for women who needed extra support.
• Healthcare services were good, with mental health cover having increased after the IMB appealed for parity with the men’s estate.

IMB Derwentside Chair, Jane Leech MBE, said:

“We continue to question Derwentside’s suitability as a removal centre. Many of the women detained there – without a legal time limit – are vulnerable and some will have been trafficked. And yet they are subjected to lengthy and frequent journeys, sometimes at night, which can cause increased anxiety and disorientation. In our view, the way women are moved around the estate risks increasing the harmful effects of detention.”