STHF Children and Vulnerable Adults Do Not Always Receive Sufficient Care
An inspection report of short-term holding facilities (STHF) managed by the Home Office Border Force finds that conditions have improved at the facilities, but concerns remain over the treatment of children and vulnerable adults. HMI Prisons visited short-term holding facilities at five airports and ten seaports across Great Britain, ranging from Poole to Aberdeen.
STHFs hold individuals and families who have been detained at the border by the UK Border Force. A total of 811 detainees had been held across all sites in the six months prior to HMI Prisons' inspection. In that six-month period, detainees were held at the facilities for an average of over six hours. The longest detention was for over 32 hours.
A previous inspection report published in June 2020 found very poor conditions at STHFs and inadequate leadership and management, with Border Force senior managers unable to say with certainty which ports actually had detention facilities. HMI Prisons said this suggested an alarming lack of oversight and accountability.
Three years later, HMI Prisons finds notable improvements at the facilities. Most of the sites that were in an unacceptable physical condition in 2020 had been rebuilt or refurbished, though conditions at Felixstowe and Purfleet remained unacceptable.
Read more: EIN, https://tinyurl.com/2tnjb48u
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