New inspection report says conditions are deteriorating and action is needed to ensure women are only detained as a last resort
A new inspection report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons has found that conditions at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre have deteriorated and the centre is failing to meet the needs of vulnerable women locked up there.
The comprehensive 122-page inspection report can be read here.
Notably, the report concludes that action is now needed to ensure women are only detained as a last resort, and that a strict limit is needed on the length of time that anyone can be detained.
For the report, HM Inspectorate of Prisons interviewed 92 women detainees in Yarl's Wood and a further eight who had recently been released, as well as 39 staff.
Forty-five per cent of women detainees said they felt unsafe at the centre.
The introduction to the report states: "Yarl's Wood is a complex and challenging place to manage and in which to work – and had become more so since the last inspection. About 12% of detainees were ex-prisoners, an increase since the previous inspection. Many women told us harrowing stories about their histories of abuse, rape, trafficking and other victimisation. At best, they were distressed and anxious about their detention and the uncertainty surrounding their possible deportation. In our survey, a disturbing 54% of the women held told us they felt depressed or suicidal when they first arrived."
"A new contract with reduced staffing levels was being introduced as the inspection took place and we were concerned that staffing levels were insufficient. We found that many women were relieved to have someone to listen to them while they described, in often distressing detail, what had happened to them in the past and their anxieties about the future. Staff rarely had time to do this and there was no counselling service. On top of all this, the allegations that had been made about the centre had clearly shocked staff and lowered morale, and both staff and detainees told us about a loss of mutual trust that had occurred since recent news reports."
HM Inspectorate of Prisons did not find evidence of widespread abuse in the centre "but the vulnerability of the women held, the closed nature of the institution and the power imbalance between the staff and detainees – common to any prison – made individual instances an ever-present risk."
Levels of self-harm were high but a small number of women accounted for a significant proportion of the incidents.
HM Inspectorate of Prisons last visited Yarl's Wood in 2013 and found that of all the areas in the centre, health care had declined most severely. It recommends that health care needs to improve urgently.
On the positives, the report found that women had good freedom of movement in the centre and recreational facilities, including the library and gym, were good. In addition, 80% of detainees interviewed said staff treated them with respect, and women reported positively on the help given to them to prepare for removal or release.
HM Inspectorate of Prisons concludes that Yarl's Wood is "rightly a place of national concern" and it is "failing to meet the needs of the most vulnerable women held", including pregnant women and women with mental health problems.
Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons, concluded in his introduction to the report: "Yarl's Wood has deteriorated since our last inspection and the needs of the women held have grown. In my view, decisive action is needed to ensure women are only detained as a last resort. Procedures to ensure the most vulnerable women are never detained should be strengthened and Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre managers held accountable for ensuring they are applied consistently."
"Depriving anyone of their liberty should be an exceptional and serious step. Other well-respected bodies have recently called for time limits on administrative detention. In my view, the rigorously evidenced concerns we have identified in this inspection provide strong support for these calls, and a strict time limit must now be introduced on the length of time that anyone can be administratively detained."
In response to the report, a Home Office spokesman told BBC News: "A number of the findings in this report are extremely disappointing. Working with our partners, we want to make sure standards in the centre improve, especially regarding the provision and delivery of healthcare."
"We are committed to treating all detainees with dignity and respect. We aim to protect the health and wellbeing of those we are detaining at all times so we are pleased that this report finds that 80% of detainees surveyed said staff treated them with respect."