This week, Unlocking Detention visited The Verne, perhaps the most isolated of the UK’s detention centres.
The Verne opened as a detention centre (“immigration removal centre”) in 2014, and has 580 bed spaces. Only men are detained here. The centre is on the Isle of Portland, off Weymouth in Dorset.
The Verne is notorious for its high usage of segregation, but it is also isolating in many other ways.
On Friday, we conducted a live interview with Mark who is currently detained in the Verne. When asked what his first thoughts were on arrival at the Verne, Mark replied:
Mark: That it was the middle of nowhere, a island. Also, 1st time, I come from prison. My first thinking was 'what’s different?' #Unlocked16 https://t.co/voOWsQaLy8
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) October 21, 2016
And the Verne’s beautiful setting is small comfort to those detained there.
Mark: I'm talking now, looking out. I can see big walls. Pond w/ five man looking at fish. Can't see the sea but can smell it. #Unlocked16 https://t.co/NSYAZtN3gJ
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) October 21, 2016
Read the full interview with Mark
The Verne is the least visited detention centre depsite being one of the largest.
https://twitter.com/McGinleyAM/status/789379806865395712
Travel to & from Verne is expensive & lengthy. phone signal is patchy. The isolation is palpable #Unlocked16 pic.twitter.com/tprk6irVOR
— AVID (@AVIDdetention) October 20, 2016
There are just 0.2 visits per detainee each month. (The infographic below is from Phil Miller’s excellent article on The Verne here).
In Verne visits hall today we were reminded of how isolated it is: only one visitor in the whole hall #Unlocked16 #detention
— AVID (@AVIDdetention) October 20, 2016
There are visitor groups working hard to combat this isolation – both the Verne Visitors Group and Detention Action regularly visit the centre.
The Verne’s History
The Verne has an interesting history …
The Verne was originally a camp for prisoners (convict labour) building Portland harbour's breakwaters https://t.co/szmhrjJ7XG #Unlocked16 pic.twitter.com/PKiE3Z0h5g
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) October 17, 2016
In late 19th century, tourists would travel from London to watch Verne prisoners working. Not such a tourist attraction today. #Unlocked16
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) October 17, 2016
The Verne then became an army citadel, and was used for military purposes until 1949, when it once again became a prison #Unlocked16 pic.twitter.com/D0gzps9eNb
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) October 17, 2016
The Verne remained a prison until 2014, when it became a detention centre, but still looks and feels like a prision (and is run by the Prison Service).
Blog posts and articles
- It was a week of great blog posts and articles, beginning with a piece by Mo who was detained for 12 months. Read The Verne: Let my people go
- Susannah Wilcox of Detention Action wrote a piece comparing the high use of segregation at The Verne with the indefinite isolation of detention. Read The Verne: an exercise in societal segregation
- Gayle Munro shed light on a little discussed aspect of detention – its chaplaincy regime.
- Ben du Preez of Detention Action wrote a great blog post for the Border Criminologies blog, on how detention demands creative campaigning.
- And thanks to Sam Grant of René Cassin, who wrote about Unlocking Detention for the RightsInfo blog. Great that #Unlocked16 is reaching new audiences!