'Purpose' of women-only detention site questioned

11 hours ago

Jason Arunn MurugesuBBC News, North East and Cumbria

Campaigners have been calling for the closure of Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre

Helen Groom Close-up of windows of a detention centre. The windows are plastered with handwritten signs stating '4 years detaining vulnerable women' and "Shut it down'. — Campaigners have been calling for the closure of Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre

Questions have been raised about why women are being placed in an immigrant removal centre (IRC), after a report found many detainees at one such site ended up remaining, rather than being removed from the UK.

According to the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) annual report, by the end of 2025 about 60% of those held at Derwentside IRC in Consett - England's only women-only detention centre - were given "alternatives to detention". It said this mostly referred to individuals being released into the community.

The IMB said it raised questions about the centre's "original purpose", with one charity calling detention "pointless".

The Home Office said it did not accept the watchdog's findings.

The IMB report follows statistics released by the HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) in January which revealed that of the 723 women who left Derwentside during a six-month period in 2025, 59% had been released to the community, and 41% sent to other centres.

It is not clear how many of those that moved to other centres also ended up remaining in the UK.

The charity Women for Refugee Women said the report backed what it had been saying for years. "Detention is entirely pointless," a spokesperson said.

"It's extremely costly and extremely harmful."

'Alternatives are possible'

The charity attributed the recent data to Derwentside often being the first place where individuals received proper legal support - which helps detainees articulate their case for asylum, for example.

The charity spokesperson said alternatives to detention, such as letting individuals pursue their immigration or asylum cases from within in the community, needed be considered.

They argued this is both more humane, as well as more cost-effective to the taxpayer.

"People don't need to be locked up in detention, which is extremely harmful," the spokesperson said.

The Home Office acknowledged the government had taken over an "under-resourced" detention sites.

But said: "Since taking office, we have made significant improvements, including increased staffing levels and refurbishment of our facilities to improve conditions and safeguards."