|
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
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 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| 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 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| 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 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
39 |
31 |
38 |
|
108 |
|
|
|
Q1 2019 |
January |
February |
March |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| 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 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| 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 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| 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
|