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Hunger Strikes in Immigration Removal Centres

339 detainees went on Hunger Strike Hunger Strike January through December 2018

1,021 detainees went on Hunger Strike Hunger Strike January through December 2017

997 Detainees went on Hunger Strike, January through December 2016

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 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


Q4 2017

Q4 2017 October November December
    Brook House 16 3 7 6
Campsfield 3 2 0 1
Colnbrook 12 5 6 1
Dungavel 1 1 0 0
Harmondsworth 35 4 22 9
Morton Hall 5 2 1 2
The Verne 2 2 0 0
Tinsley House 2 2 0 0
Yarl's Wood 69 22 15 32
145 43 51 51

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


Q2 2017

Q2 2017 April May June
    Brook House 133 69 44 20
Campsfield House 4 3 0 1
Colnbrook 17 5 3 9
Dungavel 1 1 0 0
Harmondsworth 20 12 2 6
Morton Hall 7 1 3 3
The Verne 4 0 2 2
Tinsley House 12 0 0 12
Yarl's Wood 83 24 30 29
281 115 84 82


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

 

Number of Individuals Recorded as Refusing Meals in Immigration Removal

 

Q4 2016   January February  
Brook House 83 24 30  
Campsfield 1 0 0  
Cedars Closed
Colnbrook 52 25 21  
Dungavel 2 2 0  
Harmondsworth 20 2 5  
Morton Hall 15 4 7  
The Verne 6 1 1  
Tinsley House Closed
Yarl's Wood 76 24 22  
255

 

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

Q2 2016   April May June
Brook House 67 25 32 10
Campsfield House 7 3 3 1
Cedars 0 0 0 0
Colnbrook 7 0 4 3
Dungavel 1 0 1 0
Harmondsworth 56 11 34 11
Morton Hall 14 5 3 6
The Verne 7 1 2 4
Tinsley House 30 9 14 7
Yarl's Wood 82 23 23 36
Total 271


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


 

Number of Individuals Recorded as Refusing Meals in Immigration Removal Centres October/November/December 2015

Q4 2015 Oct Nov Dec
Brook House 83 28 25 30
Campsfield 30 8 11 11
Cedars 0 0 0 0
Colnbrook 28 11 11 6
Dungavel 0 0 0 0
Harmondsworth 29 6 10 13
Morton Hall 20 4 12 4
The Verne 5 0 1 4
Tinsley House 34 14 13 7
Yarl's Wood 55 16 22 17
Total 284