"I WANT A TIME LIMIT ON DETENTION"

Immigration detention is fundamentally harmful. It should be used only as a last resort.

Detaining someone indefinitely - without a time limit - creates intense anxiety and uncertainty that causes even greater harm.

The first step towards ending the harm of unjust detention is to introduce a time limit.

The UK is the only country in Europe without a time limit on detention. Rates of depression, anxiety and PTSD are twice as high among people in detention as for those who immigration cases are resolved in the community.

Immigration detention is not a form of criminal punishment, but detention centres look and operate like prisons. In most cases, people are held in small cells with barred windows, where they are locked in for several hours during the day and at night.

In September 2023, a major public inquiry revealed horrific, hidden abuse by staff against people held at the Brook House detention centre. 19 incidents of abuse were so severe, they likely violate laws forbidding torture and inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment. This public inquiry has called for a 28 day time limit on detention.

Every day, we are seeing conditions in detention deteriorate. Health and support services are straining to meet demand. Power cuts are common. We have received numerous reports of hunger strikes, incidents of self-harm and attempted suicides.

But this government is taking steps to detain even greater numbers of people for even longer, creating new detention centres and even proposing to detain children for longer periods.

If you want a time limit on detention, sign our action today and stay up to date with developments in our campaign.

It's #TimeForATimeLimit on detention.
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