To ask Her Majesty’s Government, with reference to the Report on an unannounced inspection of Morton Hall Immigration Removal Centre by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, published on 21 March, what assessment they have made of the relationship between the absence of limits on the length of time an individual can be detained and the incidence of self-harm in immigration detention centres.
Answered on
3 April 2017
All incidents of self harm are treated very seriously and every step is taken to prevent incidents of this nature. Staff at all centres are trained to identify those at risk of self harm so that action can be taken to minimise the risk. Notices in various languages are displayed in IRCs setting out that where a detainee is concerned about a fellow detainee this should be brought to the attention of a member of staff. Formal risk assessments on initial detention and systems for raising concerns at any subsequent point feed into established self harm procedures in every IRC. These are in turn underpinned by the Home Office Operating Standard on the prevention of self-harm and detention services order 06/2008, Assessment Care in Detention Teamwork (ACDT).