A report was published today by the Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers of inspections on four holding facilities run by GSL (formerly known as Group4) which are used to detain men, women and children - sometimes overnight.

According to a Home Office press release (see below), "none of the centres had adequate child protection arrangements and the one at London City Airport was completely unsuitable for holding children" yet the Immigration Minister Tony McNulty seemed to contradict his own department when he responded to the inspections by saying "We do not consider children to be at risk of harm in any one of these facilities"

Anne Owers called on the Home Office and GSL to "ensure safety and decency for all detainees"

GSL run Campsfield House, Oakington, Tinsley House, and Yarl's Wood Removal Centres as well as 9 Short Term Holding Centres, 3 Prisons and 2 Secure Training Centres.

The BBC broadcast its "Detention Undercover" programme in March, featuring GSL employees abusing detainees at Oakington.

The Prisons Ombudsman conducted an Inquiry and said, "The strength of a liberal democracy is measured not by how it treats the majority but by how it cares for minorities and those at the margins of society. The best tests for humanity and decency are conducted in its dark places: in prisons, psychiatric hospitals, and in institutions for failed asylum-seekers and other migrants."

"For that reason, the issues that led to this investigation go to the very core of the sort of society we are and aspire to be. What was revealed Š was a sub-culture of abusive comment, casual racism, and contempt for decent values", that what had been demonstrated "beyond doubt" was a "casual acceptance of violence and abuse" and that "the nature of the problem was appalling"

He noted than no GSL managers have been "called to account"
Commenting on Shaw's Inquiry, Lincoln Crawford OBE said, "What occurred at Oakington was recorded on film and therefore it would be easy to single out a few low ranking individuals as the culprits. That would be a mistake. The failure was much more comprehensive and both IND and the Home Office must bear their share of the responsibility. IND may wish to look again at how and to whom important functions of the state are contracted out."

There is quite a history of GSL employees found to have abused detainees and the lack of appropriate action by the Home Office; in his April 2004 inquiry into allegations by an undercover newspaper journalist of GSL staff at Yarl's Wood, the Ombudsman said, "these were startling and hugely worrying allegations. If true, they would have called into question not just the management of Yarl's Wood Š but the fitness of the contractor (GSL) to run any removal centre or prison in this country".

The Inquiry did conclude that most of the things the journalist said happened did happen, yet not did GSL retained all its contracts to run Yarl's Wood, Oakington Tinsley House, and Campsfield House Removal Centres, but were awarded a huge contract of undisclosed value to design, build and manage a 750 bed Accommodation Centre at Bicester, just 30 days after publication of the Inquiry.

Once again, NCADC calls for all GSL managed places of arbitrary and indefinite detention of men, women and children to be shut down. The immigration detention and removal process in the UK is characterised by abuse, assaults and suicides; none of us will be surprised by further deaths - neither should the Home Office be.

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Immigration short term holding facilities inadequate
Holding facilities at Gatwick Airport, London City Airport and Dover Asylum Screening Centre were not suitable for overnight stays and had inadequate facilities, according to Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers' report of four inspections, published today.

All facilities could hold men, women and children detained by immigration staff - sometimes overnight - but lacked any means of proper separation. None of the centres had adequate child protection arrangements and the one at London City Airport was completely unsuitable for holding children.
More: Home Office Press Release August 16th 2005
 http://www.wired-gov.net/WGLaunch.aspx?ARTCL=33466&ALERT_TYPE=15

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Home Office response to HMCIP report
Responding to the unannounced inspections by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons (HMCIP) into short-term holding facilities in the immigration estate, Home Office Minister Tony McNulty, said:
"Anne Owers makes a number of recommendations which I will respond to in detail once I have had the opportunity to consider the report in full.
More: Home Office Press Release August 16th 2005
 http://www.wired-gov.net/WGLaunch.aspx?ARTCL=33467&ALERT_TYPE=15

End of Bulletin:

Source for this Message:
NCADC
HMCIP
Home Office