No-Deportations - Residence Papers for All

Hunger Strikes in Immigration Removal Centres


The management of food refusal in IRCs is handled in line with Detention Services Order (DSO) 3/2013.

Under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 any individual over the age of 18 years has the legal right to refuse food and/or fluid. The Act assumes that a person has mental capacity to make their own decisions to refuse food and/or fluid unless it is established they lack that capacity.

IRC suppliers monitor detainees' attendance at mealtimes and keep records of those detainees who have not attended. The reasons for non-attendance are followed up after 24 hours. This information is reported daily to Immigration Enforcement staff at each centre who update a food and fluid refusal escalation log of all cases that have reached the 48 hour point (food refusal) or 24 hour point (fluid refusal). The log also records detainees who have resumed eating and /or drinking in the previous 24 hour period. Detainees who are refusing food and / or fluids are closely monitored by healthcare professionals.

Competent individuals (i.e. those that have been assessed as having mental capacity) are considered to be engaged in a food and/or fluid refusal when they fail to partake in scheduled meals for a period of 48 hours (for food) or 24 hours (for fluids), and have not been confirmed as eating food and/or taking fluid from another source (i.e. items purchased from an IRC shop) and have stated that their reasons for not eating or drinking is as a result of a protest or other grievance.

Editors note: All the data on this page, from Freedom of Information requests to the Home Office


Number of Individuals Recorded as Refusing Meals in Immigration Removal Centres January Through March 2020


Q4 2020   October November December





 
Brook House     15 14 N/A
Colnbrook     N/A N/A N/A
Dungavel     N/A N/A 0
Harmondsworth     N/A N/A N/A
Morton Hall     0 N/A N/A
Tinsley House     0 0 0
Yarl's Wood     0 0 27
Larne     0 0 0
Manchester
    0 0 0
Sub-Totals 56   15 14 27

Q3 2020 July August September





 
Brook House 171
N/A 114 57  
Colnbrook
0 N/A N/A  
Dungavel
N/A 0 0  
Harmondsworth
N/A N/A N/A  
Morton Hall
N/A 0 0  
Tinsley House 0
0 0 0  
Yarl's Wood 0
0 0 0  
Larne 0
0 0 0  
Manchester
0
0 0 0  
Sub-Totals 171
N/A 114 57  

Q1 2020 January February March





 
Brook House 2
1 0 1  
Colnbrook 12
6 2 4  
Dungavel 1
1 0 0  
Harmondsworth 59
32 19 8  
Morton Hall 17
9 3 5  
Tinsley House 2
0 2 0  
Yarl's Wood 0
0 0 0  
Larne 0
0 0 0  
Manchester
1
0 1 0  
Sub-Totals 94
49 27 18  

Q2 2020 April May June





 
    Brook House 13
8 5 0  
Colnbrook 5
4 1 0  
Dungavel 0
0 0 0  
Harmondsworth 9
4 1 4  
Morton Hall 3
3 0 0  
Tinsley House
0 0 0  
Yarl's Wood 0 0 0 0  
Larne 0 0 0 0  
Manchester
0
0 0 0  
Sub-Totals 30
19 7 4  


Number of Individuals Recorded as Refusing Meals in Immigration Removal Centre
s January Through December 2019

272 detainees went on Hunger Strike Hunger Strike January through December 2019

Q4 2019
October November December

Brook House 18 0 1    19
Colnbrook 0 0 0    0
Dungavel 0 1 0   1
Harmondsworth 0 0 0    0
Morton Hall 5 5 2   12
Tinsley House 4 0  0   4
Yarl's Wood 3 1 1   5
Sub-Totals 30 7 4    41
Q3 2019
  July August September    
    Brook House
0 1 8   9
Colnbrook
0 0 0    0
Dungavel
0 1 2   3
Harmondsworth
 0 0  0    0
Morton Hall
 1 1  3   5
Tinsley House
1  0 2   3
Yarl's Wood
 0 0 1   1
Sub-Totals
2 3 16   21

Q2 2019 April May June

Brook House
1 0 1   2
Colnbrook
7 2 4   13
Dungavel
0 1 0   1
Harmondsworth
30 26 33   89
Morton Hall
1 2 0   3
Tinsley House
0 0 0   0
Yarl's Wood
0 0 0   0

Q1 2019 January February March

Brook House
4 2 0   6
Colnbrook
6 2 15   23
Dungavel
0 0 0   0
Harmondsworth
13 18 24   55
Morton Hall
4 2 2   8
Tinsley House
2 2 1   5
Yarl's Wood
0 3 2   5


29 29 44   102

Number of Individuals Recorded as Refusing Meals in Immigration Removal Centres January Through December 2018


Q4 2018 October November December
Brook House
1 1 2 4
Campsfield House
0 6 0 6
Colnbrook

0 2 2 4
Dungavel

0 1 1 2
Harmondsworth
2 0 8 10
Morton Hall
4 3 1 8
Tinsley House
0 0 0 0
Yarl's Wood
1 1 2 4



8 14 16 38

Q3 2018 July August September Total
    Brook House
1 0 1 2
Campsfield House
0 1 0 1
Colnbrook

2 4 4 10
Dungavel

0 0 0 0
Harmondsworth
6 12 8 26
Morton Hall

3 4 2 9
Tinsley House
0 0 0 0
Yarl's Wood

0 0 0 0



12 21 15 48

Q2 2018 April May June
    Brook House
11 7 9 27
Campsfield House
0 0 0 0
Colnbrook
5 6 3 14
Dungavel
0 0 0 0
Harmondsworth
6 9 6 21
Morton Hall
1 0 2 3
Tinsley House
8 0 1 9
Yarl's Wood
0 0 1 1


31 22 22 75

Q1 2018 January February March
    Brook House
2 2 1 5
Campsfield House
3 2 7 12
Colnbrook
8 13 13 34
Dungavel
0 0 4 4
Harmondsworth
7 11 13 31
Morton Hall
0 2 1 3
Tinsley House
0 0 1 1
Yarl's Wood
26 23 39 88


46 53 79 178

Number of Individuals Recorded as Refusing Meals in Immigration Removal Centres January Through December 2017


Q3 2017


Q3 2017 July August Septem
    Brook House 143 30 43 70
Campsfield House 4 1 1 2
Colnbrook 8 5 2 1
Dungavel 3 0 2 1
Harmondsworth 18 2 5 11
Morton Hall 3 2 0 1
The Verne 8 3 2 3
Tinsley House 5 2 1 2
Yarl's Wood 74 29 23 22

266 74 79 113


Q1 2017


Q1 2017 January February March
    Brook House 207 53 69 85
Campsfield House 8 3 2 3
Colnbrook 9 6 1 2
Dungavel 3 0 1 2
Harmondsworth 11 6 0 5
Morton Hall 4 3 1 0
The Verne 2 1 1 0
Tinsley House
Closed Closed Closed
Yarl's Wood 85 22 25 38

329 94 100 135

Centres January Through December 2016

Q3 2016
  July August  September
    Brook House
66 23 23 20
Campsfield House 6 2 1 3
Cedars
0 0 0 0
Colnbrook
10 4 3 3
Dungavel
6 1 4 1
Harmondsworth 35 8 11 16
Morton Hall 12 2 4 6
The Verne 9 6 2 1
Tinsley House 35 17 10 8
Yarl's Wood 39 19 7 13


218


as
Q1 2016
Jan Feb March
Brook House 100 36 40 24
Campsfield 11 4 2 5
Cedars 0 0 0 0
Colnbrook 14 6 3 5
Dungavel 0 0 0 0
Harmondsworth 23 2 4 17
Morton Hall 16 3 4 9
The Verne 3 0 2 1
Tinsley House 20 8 4 8
Yarl's Wood 66 19 20 27
Total 253