Detained Lives

The Detained Lives campaign is run by London Detainee Support Group.  The campaign aims to end the indefinite detention of migrants who cannot be deported.  It calls on the government to sign up to the EU Returns Directive, which sets a maximum time limit on detention, and to only use detention where deportation is imminent.  The campaign aims to initiate a wide-ranging debate about indefinite detention as a civil liberties issue.

The campaign was launched in January 2009, with the publication of a research report on the real cost of indefinite detention.  The research showed that only 18% of 188 LDSG clients detained for more than a year had been deported.  Detention in a high security Immigration Removal Centre costs the the taxpayer at least £68,000 per year.

Detainees and ex-detainees have taken a leading role in the campaign.  The research report highlighted testimony from 24 long-term detainees, who spoke powerfully about the effect of indefinite detention on their lives and mental health.  Ex-detainees have spoken at campaign roadshows, which LDSG is holding around the country in partnership with local asylum and detention organisations.

The campaign has already initiated a series of successful unlawful detention actions, working in partnership with Pierce Glynn Solicitors.  In a succession of rulings, the High Court has found that Somalis were detained unlawfully, as there was no prospect of deportation taking place.

For more information, visit Detained Lives campaign website here.