Unlocked Archives - Page 30 of 32

Unlocking Detention shone a spotlight on the hidden world of immigration detention. This ‘virtual tour’ of the immigration detention estate used Twitter, Facebook and a website to ‘unlock’ the gates of immigration detention centres.

Each week, Unlocking Detention ‘visited’ one of the UK’s detention centres. We heard from people who had been detained there, volunteer visitors, NGOs, campaigners and the families, friends, neighbours and communities over whom detention cast its long shadows.

We started Unlocking Detention back in 2014 and it ran for 6 years. While we no longer run this campaign with its dedicated website, it has left a powerful legacy of the impact of immigration detention. We have archived the key information, and we are now proud to continue to make it accessible via our website.

Hamid on alternatives to detention

Image courtesy of Freed Voices This post is written by Hamid, who has experienced immigration detention. His testimony was provided for Detention Action's forthcoming annual report. In the three and a half years I was in detention, I was [...]

Unlocked2022-10-06T09:29:28+00:00October 19th, 2014|

Flip flops placed neatly outside isolation unit doors

The writer visited one of the wings of Brook House Immigration Removal Centre a few years ago. This is an edited version of his diary. Several months previously, I was part of a small group of people who [...]

Unlocked2022-10-06T09:30:37+00:00October 16th, 2014|

Unlocking Detention in Liverpool and Manchester

Estelle Worthington is Regional Activism Co-ordinator, North West. She writes about how local organisations came together to collect evidence for the ongoing parliamentary inquiry into immigration detention. Over the last month, I’ve had the opportunity to hear many [...]

Unlocked2022-10-06T09:31:27+00:00October 15th, 2014|

Animals or slaves? Memories of a migrant detention centre

Image courtesy of Michael Collins This article by H was published as part of Unlocking Detention series on Open Democracy. One man tells of his experience of being incarcerated in the UK for three years for being a migrant, [...]

Unlocked2022-10-06T09:32:35+00:00October 14th, 2014|

“Under detention they think you’re criminal”: Henry speaks out from Haslar

Henry, currently detained in Haslar detention centre and facing deportation to Nigeria, has been previously featured on this blog writing powerfully about "Too many laws, not enough justice". You can read Henry's blog post here. Henry has now [...]

Unlocked2022-10-06T09:33:33+00:00October 14th, 2014|

The national shame that is healthcare in UK immigration detention

This article by Phil Miller and Clare Sambrook is from Open Democracy. Image: painting by Lucy Edkins from Mental Health in Immigration Detention Action Group Initial Report December 2013. Four years ago G4S was involved in the unlawful [...]

Unlocked2022-10-06T09:34:22+00:00October 13th, 2014|

What is it like being a local campaign group?

Campaign to Close Campsfield is a campaign group based in Oxford which has been calling for a closure of Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre for many years. They are one of the members of the Detention Forum. We [...]

Unlocked2022-10-06T09:35:06+00:00October 8th, 2014|

Immigration detention in the media: Anarchy and ambivalence

This article by Melanie Griffiths originally appeared in Open Democracy's #unlocked series. Alongside calls for the reduction or ending of immigration detention, we must demand more balanced coverage from our media. Melanie Griffiths reports on two decades of [...]

Unlocked2022-10-06T09:35:51+00:00October 7th, 2014|

A crisis of harm in immigration detention

This article was written by Jerome Phelps of Detention Action, a member of the Detention Forum. The article first appeared in Open Democracy on 15 September. A young Guinean woman has become the sixth victim in three years [...]

Unlocked2022-10-06T09:36:39+00:00October 6th, 2014|

Migrant vs. non-migrant: Two tier policing

This article was written by Rita Chadha of RAMFEL (Refugee and Migrant Forum of Essex and London), a member of the Detention Forum. The article was originally published in Open Democracy as part of the #unlocked series. [...]

Unlocked2022-10-06T09:37:17+00:00October 6th, 2014|