Exploring Children's Experiences and Views of Detention in Immigration Removal Centres: A Pilot Study at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
| Author | Rachel Worsley |
| Pages | 49-61 |
Exploring Children’s Experiences and Views of Detention in Immigration Removal Centres: a Pilot Study at
Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre by her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons
49
EXPLORING CHILDREN’S
EXPERIENCES AND VIEWS OF
DETENTION IN IMMIGRATION
REMOVAL CENTRES: A PILOT STUDY
AT YARL’S WOOD IMMIGRATION
REMOVAL CENTRE BY HER
MAJESTY’S CHIEF INSPECTOR OF
PRISONS
Rachel Worsley, Research Officer, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons
Abstract
It is a fundamental belief of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons that administrative
detention of children under immigration powers should be exceptional and for the
shortest possible period. The conditions for and treatment of the children who experience
this form of detention are therefore of great importance in the inspection process. This
paper outlines the background to one of the methods the Inspectorate is beginning to use
as part of its evidence gathering process. A pilot study was conducted in February 2006 at
Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre, and the main aim of this paper is to provide a
brief insight into the research and its implications.
Key Words: Immigration, Children, Inspectorate, Detention
Introduction
The needs and rights of children have long been situated at the forefront of debate. The
government’s 2003 green paper Every Child Matters (ECM) was published in light of
widespread recognition of the failure to give precedence to safeguarding children. The
paper aimed to address ‘…the needs of children at risk in the context of the services we
provide for them’ (Chief Secretary to the Treasury, 2003:6). In terms of children held in
immigration detention, the very language of the ECM paper, and its thought provoking
references to the Victoria Climbié case1, only emphasised the perspective that holding
children in detention can be potentially damaging.
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