This week Unlocking Detention has been ‘visiting’ Dungavel detention centre, the only detention in Scotland and a site of much contention after the government announced plans earlier this year to close it and open a Short-Term Holding Facility in Glasgow – you can read Scottish Detainee Visitors‘ analysis of the situation as it stands, here. On Friday afternoon, Ben from Detention Action conducted a live Twitter Q&A with Gil, currently detained in Dungavel. Here’s the recap:
Join us from 3pm for the final live #Unlocked16 Q&A, this week with Gil, currently detained in Dungavel. Send us your questions!
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Huge thanks to the irrepressible @SDVisitors for a) putting us in touch w/ Gil for today's Q&A b) supporting #Unlocked16 w/ customary vim. pic.twitter.com/Mvre0MuJAR
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
1st question for Gil about the what he knew re detention before he was detaiend. Look at @Right_to_Remain's amazing toolkit for info on this pic.twitter.com/W358ZYr4jq
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
G: I'm 16yrs in UK before I was taken to detention…never expected anything like this. There's nothing like this where I'm from #Unlocked16 https://t.co/yBJ4IshEjU
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Next question Gil about how he was detained in Dungavel, and how he felt in that moment… #Unlocked16 pic.twitter.com/Wg2xjiYvbv
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Gil (1/2): I was in prison for 5 days for not paying a fine. I was expecting to come out. Then they moved me over to detention.#Unlocked16 https://t.co/0fucxiTi0N
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Gil (2/2): I never assumed that that this one small fine would change my life for ever. #Unlocked16 #TheseWallsMustFall https://t.co/0fucxiTi0N
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Such small moments lead to such huge human rights abuses. #EndDetention #Unlocked16 https://t.co/J2EWnJn6Ec
— LisaLeziza (@LisaLeziza) December 9, 2016
Question for Gil from @DetentionAction volunteer: What is the main difference between Dungavel and prison for you? #Unlocked16 pic.twitter.com/vHu8HlIT7Q
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
G: I was only in prison 5days but I knew it would finish. I have been in detention since January & have no idea when it will end #Unlocked16 https://t.co/57mBIhq1MJ
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Dungavel is 1 of most remote of all detention centres in the UK (as @SDVisitors will confirm)..but what if your detained there? #Unlocked16 pic.twitter.com/IWnkV3z5FC
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
G: We're isolated here but I prefer it to somewhere like Colnbrook…that was like the end of the world. A prison on steroids. #Unlocked16 https://t.co/ocXsR2vmld
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Transfers (especially between Dungagel in Scotland, w/ different legal system) can have a devastating impact on someone's case…#Unlocked16 pic.twitter.com/EW0ocmwTig
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
G: I'm living in Scotland & they took me down to Colnbrook for five days, which was horrible, then brought me back to Dungavel. #Unlocked16 https://t.co/1aDN4PrBqN
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Next Q for Gil hones in on theme of #Unlocked16 & our focus on the impact of detention on individual's 'inner circle': family & friends pic.twitter.com/kcodgPx4iK
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
G: It takes my family 4hrs driving to get here. It’s exhausting. I prefer to take to them on the phone. It’s too much for everyone otherwise https://t.co/pTPD6F331d
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
.@DetentionForum Here are some questions for Gil from our colleagues at @scotrefcouncil #Unlocked16 pic.twitter.com/8tFf8G4gd6
— ScotDetaineeVisitors (@SDVisitors) December 7, 2016
Gil (1st Q): I was happy. I saw open clouds. I thought it would be like Colnbrook. But then inside, it still looks like a prison #Unlocked16 https://t.co/lnQI9rqZFc
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Gil (2nd Q): The works of art that I make. These give me the hopes. #Unlocked16 https://t.co/lnQI9rqZFc
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Q for Gil about the relationship between those detained and staff @Dungael (which is managed by GEO) https://t.co/b9pbb76PL3 #Unlocked16 pic.twitter.com/V7jnpUjaDS
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
G: Some have no manners. Some people here need hope & they ignore them. They don’t act. But this is more down to the individual. #Unlocked16 https://t.co/DOt5dd5fTu
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
One more question for #Unlocked16 Q&A w/ Gil, detained in Dungavel. Send yours direct to @DetentionForum #TheseWallsMustFall #DetentionKills pic.twitter.com/pkiaKNyQdb
— Detention Action (@DetentionAction) December 6, 2016
Gil (1/2): We heard the old man died in Colnbrook. It only surprised me it wasn't a suicide. Even then, these small escalations…#Unlocked16 https://t.co/NzDbfiCjdW
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Gil (2/2):…you have understand the anxiety and stress of this environment. People are going mad here…It doesn’t surprise me. #Unlocked16 https://t.co/NzDbfiCjdW
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Q for Gil: UK is STILL only country in EU w/ no time-limit on detention. What's the longest you've known someone to be detained? #Unlocked16
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
G: 2.5 years. He went 16 times for bail before he was released. Why was it accepted on the last time? No idea. Who knows. #Time4aTimeLimit https://t.co/D2nbHw7NPa
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Detention can be lethal, it can destroy lives. We've seen that all too clearly over the last week. But what about those outside? #Unlocked16 pic.twitter.com/FjYOAUNpVY
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
G (1/3): Very detrimental. My kids are going off the wall. Social worker come in&ask my kid why he's acting up. He said because..#Unlocked16 https://t.co/q9XhecqdD9
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
G (2/3)..the Home Office take my father. My oldest is autistic. Outside, I help him a lot, working to get him out the house… #Unlocked16 https://t.co/q9XhecqdD9
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Gil (3/3)… I would organise a picnic, football, these things, to get him socialising. All that…I can’t do anything from here. #Unlocked16 https://t.co/q9XhecqdD9
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
I'm stepmum of someone with special needs.Detention of parent of autistic child is horrifying me (of course all detention=wrong) #Unlocked16 https://t.co/0J2PkoLqWt
— LisaLeziza (@LisaLeziza) December 9, 2016
Q for Gil from us: do you feel like you have a support structure inside Dungavel, are there people you can offer you counsel? #Unlocked16
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
G (1/2): There's a counsellor but this isn't a place for rehabilitation back into society. Here, they think there is no reason…#Unlocked16 https://t.co/pKoy1HyHhG
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Gil (2/2)…to invest in us. Sometimes it feels like a miracle the staff actually turn up in the morning to work. #Unlocked16 https://t.co/pKoy1HyHhG
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Variant on a question asked alot during the #Unlocked16 Q&As – How do you relax? How do you switch off? How do you maintain sanity? pic.twitter.com/p4Z9ecMQiO
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Gil: We have a TV here. I like to watch Law & Order. Ice Cube is in it. He’s a very good actor. He makes me smile! #Unlocked16 https://t.co/us3Jgi5uHb
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
.@DetentionForum And another question for Gil from @scotrefcouncil #Unlocked16 pic.twitter.com/Rp6JaMy6OB
— ScotDetaineeVisitors (@SDVisitors) December 7, 2016
G: Lawyers come here but I'm not sure how good they are. Some won’t do bail, they won’t do judicial review. Some people represent themselves https://t.co/zF5fUarYLE
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Question about medical support in Dungavel..#Unlocked16 pic.twitter.com/AbvVoW3fv2
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
G: [LAUGHTER]…it would be better to have a visit from a veterinarian. People with visible infections, they get paracetamol. #Unlocked16 https://t.co/3WUw9goPYT
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
.@DetentionForum Liberty's question for Gil – currently detained in Dungavel – for today's #Unlocked16 Q&A pic.twitter.com/cGOM4eBWgT
— Liberty (@libertyhq) December 9, 2016
Gil (1/2): The way they decide things, the judgement is often unfair & with no foundations. They will hear your testimony…#Unlocked16 https://t.co/pK4ouyq1Py
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Gil (2/2):..then when they give you their answer it is full of mistakes. It is like they heard a completely different testimony. #Unlocked16 https://t.co/pK4ouyq1Py
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Q for Gil, currently detained in Dungavel, that formed the basis of last year's public ask https://t.co/47t00J64cO… #Unlocked16 @jonfeatonby pic.twitter.com/J5xEwqmTCN
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
G: Having dinner w/ my kids, something I would do every night. Cooking for them, hearing their noises, jumping around the house. #Unlocked16 https://t.co/Tbt4ZzNfil
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
.@DetentionForum another question for Gil from a @scotrefcouncil colleague #Unlocked16 pic.twitter.com/AJGYqVVI7a
— ScotDetaineeVisitors (@SDVisitors) December 7, 2016
G: I am depressed. It's sad to know I am here, wasting time. Someone was here a year & he can’t take it anymore. He cracks up. #Unlocked16 https://t.co/6fdn8rucma
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
This Friday, #Unlocked16 are doing the last live Q&A of the tour w/ Gil, detained in Dungavel. What do You want to ask him? @DetentionForum pic.twitter.com/ylpMT82hA4
— Detention Action (@DetentionAction) December 6, 2016
G (1/2): I'm happy to hear campaigners fight the STHF because this would mean the next generation will be removed fast, without due process. https://t.co/E7aBfDZ8tc
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
G (2/2): I feel a strong sense of solidarity w/ Scotland. I have a strong connection here, especially w/ my kids. It is my home. #Unlcoked16 https://t.co/E7aBfDZ8tc
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Classic #Unlocked16 question from friends from @WagingPeaceUK – describe Dungavel in three words… pic.twitter.com/Ax3lmZPQgU
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Gil: OUT. OF. DATE. People could be outside, in the community, paying tax & still have their cases resolved. #Unlocked16 #TheseWallsMustFall https://t.co/7KKtArB0hE
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Question for Friday's live Q&A with Gil, currently detained in Dungavel #Unlocked16 #TheseWallsMustFall pic.twitter.com/CAew98y7ah
— Detention Action (@DetentionAction) December 6, 2016
G: I really do not know what is the rationale. It's such a hefty bill for taxpayers & people are suffering. I don’t understand. #Unlocked16 https://t.co/cT3j7crJlC
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
That's it for today's live #Unlocked16 Q&A – apologies to anyone who's question wasn't asked in time. Thanks to all those who got involved!
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016
Massive thanks to Gil for speaking out. We send him strength & stand in soldiarity with all those detained in Dungavel #TheseWallsMustFall pic.twitter.com/vdZNEUy7ip
— TheDetentionForum (@DetentionForum) December 9, 2016