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Illustration from the report, credit Carcazan.

Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), a member of the AVID network, published a report in May 2024 on abuse in detention. The full report is available here.

The report is the result of a workshop and series of interviews with people detained in Heathrow IRCs. It follows the publication of the Brook House Inquiry Report and explores how the findings of abuse in Brook House in 2017 compare to other IRCs five years on.

They found concerning parallels including inappropriate use of segregation and force; failing safeguards; prison-like environments and inadequate healthcare provision.

Key Recommendations from this report:

  1. End the use of detention for the purpose of immigration control.
  2. Introduce a mandatory time limit of no more than 28 days for all those detained under immigration powers.
  3. The decision to detain must go before a judge.
  4. Accept and implement the recommendations of the Brook House Inquiry Report.
  5. Repeal the Illegal Migration Act 2023 and reject the expansion of detention powers within it.

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