Bail for Immigration Detainees says it is completely unacceptable for anybody held in detention not to have access to legal advice
Bail for Immigration Detainees (BID) last week released the results of a brief legal advice survey.
Image credit: WikipediaBID found that only just over half (53%) of the immigration detainees it surveyed currently have a legal representative. Of those with a legal representative, only 54% receive legal aid.
1 in 5 of the detainees said they had never had a legal representative at any time while in detention.
The survey found that three-quarters of detainees felt that not having legal representation meant they didn't know how to challenge their detention.
BID also found that 62% of detainees reported that they had been blocked from accessing websites that might help them with their immigration case.
John Hopgood, BID's Policy & Research Manager, was quoted as saying: "The situation described by detainees – while hardly a surprise – underlines the bleak situation that people being held in immigration detention face.
"The attack on legal aid three years ago continues to have a devastating impact on the ability of people to access justice. People held in detention centres are among the most marginalised in society. The government detains them purely for administrative reasons, and then denies them the information and legal advice they need to challenge that detention.
"It is completely unacceptable for anybody held in detention not to have access to legal advice. That as many as 20% of all detainees find themselves in that situation is beyond belief, and the only way to right this wrong is to ensure that legal aid is automatically available to the people who need it the most."
Hopgood added that the situation is even worse for the growing number of immigration detainees held in prisons, where only 1 in 20 has access to any kind of independent legal advice about their immigration case.