Dungavel House Immigration Removal Centre 2012
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Report on an unannounced short follow- up inspection of Dungavel House Immigration Removal Centre 31 July – 2 August 2012 by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Crown copyright 2012 Printed and published by: Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons 1st Floor, Ashley House Monck Street London SW1P 2BQ England Dungavel IRC 2 Contents Introduction 5 Fact page 7 1 Summary 9 2 Progress since the last report 13 3 Summary of recommendations 23 Appendices I Inspection team 25 II Detainee population profile 26 Dungavel IRC 3 Dungavel IRC 4 Introduction Dungavel House is an immigration removal centre (IRC) for male and female foreign nationals being removed from the UK. Since our last inspection, the government has confirmed that children will no longer be held at the centre. It is the only IRC in Scotland. In our previous report we described it as ‘the best IRC we have inspected’. At this inspection, we were pleased to find that the centre had built on its strengths and made sufficient progress against our recommendations in three of the four healthy establishment areas. Improvements had been made to an already very safe environment. The care of detainees during their first days at the centre had improved. Despite many exhausting overnight journeys and the absence of prison files arriving with detainees from Scottish prisons, detainees were safe. Reception had been relocated to a bigger and more suitable unit. Male detainees were housed on a new dedicated first night unit and received regular checks on their well-being. We were pleased to find that non-English speakers received help to deal with the frustrations of detention, and that female detainees could receive counselling. However, the UK Border Agency did not always attend case reviews for detainees in crisis. Not all detainees were able to consult their lawyers in private. An age-dispute policy had been developed with assistance from South Lanarkshire social services. We witnessed excellent relationships between staff and detainees – an enduring strength of the centre. Female detainees still did not have access to single or double rooms, which was unsettling, especially during the early days. Attempts had been made to improve some inadequate accommodation on one of the male units but further work was needed. The centre’s equality policy required more procedural guidance but identification of detainees with disabilities had improved. A helpful online diversity training package was available to staff. Complaints were dealt with respectfully and addressed issues raised but a separate system for health care complaints was required to protect medical confidentiality. The health centre had relocated to a much more suitable environment and there were more nurse-led clinics. A third of frontline staff had undergone mental health awareness training but we were disappointed to find a lack of training to identify and treat torture survivors. Activities for detainees had improved. The already high-performing learning and resources centre (LRC) had upped its game even further. All detainees received a briefing from the LRC team and a works opportunities coordinator ensured that job vacancies were quickly filled. Paid work opportunities had increased. The centre had proactively worked with the Scottish Qualification Authority to provide more certified and higher-level courses. Teaching was better than at the previous inspection, with more varied, individualised and interactive methods used to engage detainees. Less progress than in other areas had been made in preparing detainees for release. Assistance for those served with removal directions at weekends had improved. While the needs of detainees being removed were assessed, those being transferred or released were not all routinely assessed. Detainees were often given little notice of transfers and many did not know the reasons for the transfer. Detainees whose removal was enforced did not receive formal assistance with the journey from the airport to home in their country of origin. Dungavel IRC 5 Dungavel remained a safe and respectful centre, with good activities to engage detainees. With the exception of preparing detainees for release, the centre had not rested on its laurels but had actively worked to improving outcomes for detainees. Improvements in reception, health care, teaching and work places were particularly welcome, as was the introduction of a first night centre and interventions to help detainees overcome the frustrations of detention. Nick Hardwick September 2012 HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Dungavel IRC 6 Fact page Task of the establishment The detention, care and welfare of people subject to immigration control. Location Strathaven, South Lanarkshire Name of contractor GEO Group UK Ltd Number held 173 Certified normal accommodation (CNA) 217 Operational capacity 217 Last inspection 21–25 June 2010 Brief history Dungavel House Immigration Removal Centre was formerly a hunting lodge for the Duke of Hamilton. It was used as a hospital during two World Wars, after which it became a training college for the Coal Board (Bevin’s boys), and then an SPS low-category prison. It became a detention centre in 2001, the contractors being Premier Detention Services. In 2004, Serco bought out Premier and in 2006, G4S won the contract to run Dungavel. In 2011, GEO was awarded the contract. Name of centre manager John McClure Escort provider Reliance Short description of residential units The male accommodation consists of single and double rooms, and dormitories (capacity 203). Female accommodation consists of dormitories (capacity 14). Health service commissioner and providers Commissioner: NHS Lanarkshire Providers: Primecare Learning and skills providers Scottish Qualification Authority IMB chair Richard W Bett Dungavel IRC 7 Dungavel IRC 8 Section 1: Summary Introduction 1.1 Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent, statutory organisation which reports on the treatment and conditions of those detained in prisons, young offender institutions, immigration detention facilities and police custody. 1.2 All inspections carried out by HM Inspectorate of Prisons contribute to the UK’s response to its international obligations under the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT). OPCAT requires that all places of detention are visited regularly by independent bodies – known as the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) – which monitor the treatment of and conditions for detainees. HM Inspectorate of Prisons is one of several bodies making up the NPM in the UK. 1.3 The purpose of this inspection was to follow up the recommendations made in our last full inspection of 2010 and assess the progress achieved. All full inspection reports include a summary of outcomes for detainees against the model of a healthy establishment. The four criteria of a healthy establishment are: Safety – that detainees are held in safety and with due regard to the insecurity of their position Respect – that detainees are treated with respect for their human dignity and the circumstances of their detention Activities – that the centre encourages activities and provides facilities to preserve and promote the mental and physical wellbeing of detainees Preparation for removal and release – that detainees are able to maintain contact with family, friends, support groups, legal representatives and advisors, access information about their country of origin and be prepared for their release, transfer or removal. Detainees are able to retain or recover their property. 1.4 Follow-up inspections are proportionate to risk. Short follow-up inspections are conducted where the previous full inspection and our intelligence systems suggest that there are comparatively fewer concerns. Sufficient inspector time is allocated to enable inspection of progress. Inspectors draw up a brief healthy establishment summary setting out the progress of the establishment in the areas inspected and giving an overall assessment against the following definitions: Making insufficient progress Overall progress against our recommendations has been slow or negligible and/or there is little evidence of improvements in outcomes for detainees. Making sufficient progress Overall there is evidence that efforts have been made to respond to our recommendations in a way that is having a discernible positive impact on outcomes for detainees. Dungavel IRC 9 Safety 1.5 At the last inspection in 2010, we judged that outcomes for detainees against this healthy establishment test were good. We made 17 recommendations in this area, of which eight had been achieved, two partially achieved and seven had not been achieved. We have made two further recommendations. 1.6 Some detainees were still subject to overnight journeys and excessive moves around the detention estate. The number of detainees who had been held in police stations for long periods before arriving at the establishment had decreased, although there were still some instances of this, with one detainee being held for more than 29 hours. Detainees transferring from Scottish prisons arrived without their prison files, although steps were taken to assess risk from other sources. 1.7 Reception and first night arrangements had improved greatly. The reception area was now much bigger, well ventilated and fit for purpose. The new dedicated first night unit enabled staff regularly to check the well-being of male detainees. Female detainees were accommodated in one of two dormitories,