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.
“There are no real seasons in detention. It’s just a grey blur. White noise”
Immigration detention is sometimes described as ‘administrative detention in prison-like conditions’. And the Home Office can detain people under immigration powers in prisons. In fact, as at 26 June 2017, [...]
Why political pressure needs to be ramped up now
The Detention Forum which runs Unlocking Detention is a network of many groups who have been working together to challenge UK’s immigration detention policy and practice. Jon Featonby, one of [...]
Week 2: #Unlocked17 visits Yarl’s Wood
This week Unlocking Detention visited Yarl's Wood detention centre in Bedfordshire. Like other centres, it is isolated and hard to reach. However, with space for up to 304 women and [...]
“I try to forget about everything that I went through at Brook House”
Paul* was removed from Brook House to Jamaica earlier this year, after being detained for over two years. For the last six months of his detention, he had signed up [...]
Remembering My First Time
Though no official survey exists, the UK is one of the few countries around the world where each detention centre has a dedicated visitor's group, in addition to other groups who visit [...]
“A country I had called home for 13 years had imprisoned me”
Families with children were regularly detained at Yarl’s Wood and Dungavel detention centres until the change of policy in 2010 drastically reduced the number of children detained. Now, a smaller [...]
Photo essay: To Yarl’s Wood detention centre
Yarl's Wood detention centre is perhaps the most high-profile centre in the UK. This photo essay is for those of you who have never been to this detention centre. If [...]
“Everyday in Yarl’s Wood is a struggle”
This week, Unlocking Detention tour is 'visiting' Yarl's Wood detention centre in Bedford. Boatemaa* was detained in Yarl’s Wood earlier this year. She was recently released from Yarl’s Wood, to [...]
The Seamed Zones
Where does 'invisibility' of immigration detention centres start? Ben du Preez, Campaigns Coordinator at Detention Action, stares into the gap between non-place-ness of detention centres and their material human impact [...]
“We need it now. People are dying”: Freed Voices lobbying for #Time4aTimeLimit
The theme of this year’s Unlocking Detention is ‘action’ so who better to hear from than the Freed Voices group. Earlier this week, Mishka from Freed Voices joined campaigners Fred [...]
Verne closes, Shaw looms
Detention Action has been running advice surgeries every month at the Verne detention centre, which is set to close at the end of this year. Jerome Phelps, Director of Detention [...]
For groups wanting to support Unlocking Detention
One of the themes of this year's Unlocking Detention tour is action. We are distributing the following material for groups interested in joining the tour. Please feel free to use [...]