Report on an unannounced short follow-up inspection of Haslar IRC
31 May – 3 June 2011 by HMCIP. Report compiled July 2011, published Wednesday 12th October 2011
Inspectors were concerned to see that:
- none of our previous recommendations on immigration casework - central to a detainee's predicament - had been achieved by the UK Border Agency (UKBA); and in particular
- we concluded that insufficient progress had been made on safety overall.
- It was of particular concern that procedures to safeguard the most vulnerable detainees, those who might be children and those who might not be fit to be detained, potentially as a result of torture, were not robust.
Inspectors were pleased to find that:
- detainees generally reported feeling safe, and incidents of bullying, violence and self-harm were low;
- the environment had been transformed and this had contributed to an improved atmosphere and reinforcement of already positive staff-detainee relationships;
- the education department continued to provide an excellent resource and had made further improvements;
- a dedicated welfare officer provided much-valued assistance to detainees; and
- internet and email access, to help detainees maintain affordable contact with their families and keep up to date with legal developments on their cases, was on the verge of implementation.
Introduction from the report
Haslar immigration removal centre (IRC), in Portsmouth, is one of four run by the Prison Service. On our previous visit in 2009, we commended the efforts of staff in caring appropriately for detainees but decried the lack of investment in the centre which had left it with some of the worst accommodation in the immigration estate. Open, noisy dormitory units had contributed to tensions among detainees and provided an unacceptable environment. This unannounced follow-up visit found a much more decent and secure living environment as a result of substantial investment in a refurbishment programme by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS).
Detainees generally reported feeling safe in the centre. Incidents of bullying, violence and self-harm were low, and staff responses to issues were appropriately low key. However, our safety assessment also includes immigration casework – so central to a detainee's predicament – and none of our previous recommendations in this area had been achieved by UKBA. As a result, we concluded that insufficient progress had been made on safety overall. It was of particular concern that procedures to safeguard the most vulnerable detainees, those who might be children and those who might not be fit to be detained, potentially as a result of torture, were not robust.
By contrast, the environment had been transformed and this had contributed to an improved atmosphere and reinforcement of already positive staff-detainee relationships. Other important areas, such as diversity and health care, had also improved. In relation to activities, the education department continued to provide an excellent resource for detainees and had made further improvements. However, there had been no change in the amount of work available and some detainees still had too little to fill their time.
In order to help detainees prepare for release or removal, a dedicated welfare officer provided much-valued assistance. Major work had also been undertaken to build a new visitors centre, which was nearing completion. Internet and email access, crucial to helping detainees maintain affordable contact with their families and keep up to date with legal developments relevant to their cases, was – at last – on the verge of implementation. We will expect to see these facilities fully established at the next inspection.
This report describes some impressive progress against our recommendations since the last inspection. Two-thirds of our recommendations had been fully or partially achieved, including most of the main recommendations. In particular, there was now a much improved and more decent physical environment. However, we were concerned that there had been minimal progress on our recommendations regarding immigration casework and we expect UKBA to address these continued failings, which impact significantly on what was otherwise an impressive centre.
Nick Hardwick July 2011
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons |