Detention Centers Now Said to be Unacceptable For Children and Women

Apparently the chief inspector of prisons has just recently slammed conditions at the privately run Tinsley House. One thing that was pointed to was the use of force on two children. He went on to say that the conditions at this emigration removal center have deteriorated so much that they are now wholly unacceptable for women, as well as children.

A report by Dame Anne Owers on Tinsley House at Gatwick airport, which is run by the private security company G4S, has revealed that unnecessary force has been used to restrain two children while their family was being deported. The results of this unannounced inspection in October were published over the weekend and show that the center has developed a more prison-like culture over the past 18 months. Fears for the small number of children and women in these establishments have risen since most of these places are filled with males.

Owers went on to say that they are especially concerned about the detention and welfare of the children held for over 72 hours. In the previous six months, five families a month have been detained for more than 72 hours. Some of them were held for many weeks. Owers went on to note that it was not possible to find out how long the children had been detained in total.

She went on to say that G4S managers had focused on teething problems at a neighborhood removal center, and Tinsley had become an afterthought for housing some poorly cared-for children and a small number of scared and isolated single women. It is a wholly unacceptable state of affairs. She pointed out that most women felt intimidated and usually never left their rooms.