Harmondsworth: Full-scale prison regime to be introduced

In light of the events at Yarl’s Wood sprinklers are going to be installed over the summer. There will be substantial building work and Harmondsworth will be emptied by 50% for several months.

Internal security gates are going to be installed so that detainees won't be free to wander round the centre and engage in free association, one of the few pleasures they have. They will be held on designated wings and will have to be escorted to education, recreation and healthcare. More staff will need to be employed to cope with this. However, considering the current lack of staff, which results in very long waiting times for visitors (one visitor recently waited four hours) it is doubtful anything will improve.

The regime will change too, for the worse. At the moment there are "standard" and "enhanced" regimes. The difference between these will be broadened with a possible curtailment of visiting hours for those on "standard" regime. A demotion to "standard" regime will be used as a punishment. Of the new wings, one will be for people with removal directions and one will be for 'long-termers'. So much for the government’s assertion that people are only held pending removal.

There is a meeting with visitors groups planned, to explain the changes when they are finally decided and to ask for opinions. It has not been indicated whether these changes are because of demands from the centre's insurers, or when the insurance is up for renewal.

It has also been stated that, post-Yarl's Wood, there is a policy of separating large groups of people of the same nationality, or groups who are 'disruptive'. It has been said that the Home Office makes this decision, although the centre can make representations about whom they would like to be moved.

Comments have also been received on the reporting of people whose health would be injuriously affected by continued detention; just about all of them I would have thought. Healthcare staff are said to be aware of their responsibilities, although that is very much open to doubt. The definition appears ungenerous, as this procedure has only been used once to release someone. It is still unclear when a resident psychiatrist will be employed, so who is going to make the assessments. It was also said that people are welcome to get their own medicals done, but there has been no explanation as to how this could be achieved. There are constant complaints about a perceived lack of proper medical care.

In addition it was said that women more than 7 months pregnant would not be detained because commercial airlines will not carry them. Presumably if they can persuade the airlines to carry them these women will also be locked up. There has been a report of a pregnant woman with an eleven-month-old child being held.

Work has started on a new centre adjacent to the existing one. The contract has not yet been awarded but it is planned to be based on a prison design and will hold about 400. It is intended that the most 'disruptive' people in the detention estate will be held there. It's going to be called IDC Longford.

We must step up the campaign to close these centres and end this abuse of human rights!

Ray Barkley

Close Down Harmondsworth Campaign