D.4 Detained people’s safety and experiences

Introduction

1. Detention for immigration purposes should be “used sparingly, and for the shortest period necessary”¹. Even former prisoners were not in Brook House to serve a prison sentence. People who were detained at Brook House were entitled to be treated humanely and with care, and to reside in an environment that ensured their safety and security. These principles are reflected in the Detention Centre Rules 2001 (the Rules) as well as the G4S contract².
2. The evidence received by the Inquiry revealed several issues – such as drug use, language barriers, inadequate management of risk, the lock-in regime, no-notice removals and the indefinite nature of detention – that had a detrimental impact on the quality of life of detained people at Brook House during the relevant period (1 April 2017 to 31 August 2017).

1. Detention: General Instructions, Home Office, January 2022, p7[↩]
2. Detention Centre Rules 2001, Rule 3; see also, for example, HOM000916_040; HOM000916_199[↩]