Using police cells to detain people with mental illness to be banned under new reforms – The Independent

Posted June 17th, 2019 in detention, mental health, news, police by tracey

‘Police cells will no longer be used to detain people experiencing mental illness, Theresa May has announced as part of a package of measures that she says will “overhaul” the government’s approach to mental health. Weeks before she is due to leave office, the prime minister has unveiled a commitment to overhaul the controversial Mental Health Act in order to make it “fit for modern society”.’

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The Independent, 17th June 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Home Secretary apologises to members of Windrush generation – Home Office

‘The Home Secretary has written 46 letters to people who were sanctioned under compliant environment policies and 7 to people with criminal convictions who were held under immigration detention powers at the end of their prison sentence.’

Full press release

Home Office, 10th June 2019

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

Charity pours scorn on quality of immigration detainees’ advice – Legal Futures

‘Legal representation for immigration detainees is very poor, including the quality of advice given by solicitors, according to a charity that challenges detention in removal centres and prisons.’

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Legal Futures, 4th June 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Report raises alarm over police detention of vulnerable suspects – The Guardian

‘Police officers detained and interviewed vulnerable suspects without an appropriate adult present more than 100,000 times last year in England and Wales, according to a charity report.’

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The Guardian, 31st May 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Cadent handed record £44m penalty after customers left without gas – The Guardian

Posted May 23rd, 2019 in compensation, detention, duty of care, energy, inquiries, news by tracey

‘Ofgem takes action after tower block residents had no supplies for up to five months.’

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The Guardian, 22nd May 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

This week’s round up – Williamson fired over Huawei and the courts return after Easter – UK Human Rights Blog

‘Despite the return of the courts on Monday, it was another relatively light week in terms of decisions in the fields of public law and human rights. However, the High Court decided a number of interesting clinical negligence cases, whilst the Court of Appeal gave judgement in the case of TM (Kenya), R (On the Application Of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2019] EWCA Civ 784.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 7th May 2019

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales ‘too low’ says watchdog – The Independent

‘The low age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales is putting children at risk during crucial years of their development, the human rights watchdog has warned. In an unprecedented move, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has called on lawmakers to raise the age at which a child can be deemed responsible for committing a crime – currently at 10.’

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The Independent, 6th May 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

No necessity to arrest where person voluntarily attended police station – UK Police Law Blog

Posted May 1st, 2019 in appeals, detention, harassment, investigatory powers, news, police, reasons by tracey

‘Every police officer knows they must have a reasonable suspicion that a person has committed an offence in order to arrest them. But that is only half of what is required. The second element is that they must have a reasonable belief in the necessity for the person’s arrest. The recent decision of Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police v MR [2019] EWHC 888 (QB) is one of a number of recent cases where appellate judgments have sought to tighten-up what the police must show in order to prove necessity.’

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UK Police Law Blog, 30th April 2019

Source: ukpolicelawblog.com

Home Office chaos and incompetence lead to unlawful detentions, claim whistleblowers – The Guardian

‘Chaos, incompetence and bullying of Home Office employees is resulting in failed deportations and the unlawful detention of vulnerable and desperate people, whistleblowers allege.’

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The Guardian, 28th April 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Dignity of women in custody ensured by planned law change – Home Office

Posted April 25th, 2019 in detention, police, press releases, women by tracey

‘Police will have to ask female detainees whether they are likely to require sanitary products, which they will be given free, under Home Office plans.’

Full press release

Home Office, 24th April 2019

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

Child sex offenders ‘inadequately supervised’ at detention centre – The Guardian

‘child sex offenders being held at an immigration removal centre have been inadequately supervised, a watchdog has found.’

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The Guardian, 16th April 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Mother sues over daughter’s suicide attempt in school isolation booth – The Guardian

Posted April 3rd, 2019 in attempts, autism, detention, mental health, news, school children, suicide by sally

‘A woman whose daughter tried to kill herself while in an isolation booth at an academy school is to take legal action against the government.’

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The Guardian, 3rd April 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Judge rules £1/hr wages for immigration detainees are lawful – The Guardian

Posted March 28th, 2019 in detention, immigration, news, remuneration by sally

‘A high court judge has found that wages of £1 an hour paid in immigration detention centres are lawful.’

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The Guardian, 27th March 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Catalogue of failings led to death of ‘gentle’ man at detention centre – The Guardian

Posted March 26th, 2019 in death in custody, detention, immigration, inquests, news by sally

‘A catalogue of failings contributed to the killing of a “gentle and polite” man in immigration detention, an inquest jury has found.’

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The Guardian, 25th March 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Home Office overseeing ‘serious failings’ in almost every stage of immigration detention process, MPs warn – The Independent

Posted March 21st, 2019 in detention, government departments, immigration, news, time limits, torture by tracey

‘The Home Office is overseeing “serious failings” in almost every stage of the immigration detention process, according to a new report which makes fresh calls for a time limit on detention.’

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The Independent, 21st March 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Home Office apologises for failings that led to detention centre death – The Guardian

Posted March 20th, 2019 in death in custody, detention, immigration, news by sally

‘A senior Home Office official has repeatedly apologised for shortcomings that led to the killing of a “gentle and polite” man in immigration detention, at an inquest into his death.’

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The Guardian, 19th March 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Medomsley detention centre saw hundreds sexually abused – BBC News

‘An officer at a former youth detention centre sexually assaulted hundreds of inmates, it has emerged.’

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BBC News, 12th March 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Appalling sexual abuse by staff of children in custody revealed by nationwide inquiry – The Independent

‘The appalling scale of sexual abuse against children as young as 11 in detention centres has been revealed by a nationwide inquiry. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) said that more than 1,000 incidents of alleged sexual abuse had been reported between 2009 and 2017.’

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The Independent, 28th February 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

G4S faces prosecution over smoking at immigration detention centre – The Guardian

Posted February 8th, 2019 in detention, immigration, news, prosecutions, security companies, smoking by sally

‘The security company G4S is facing prosecution for allegedly failing to implement a smoking ban at an immigration removal centre, in the first case of its kind.’

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The Guardian, 7th February 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

What price freedom? Counting the cost when DoLS goes wrong – UK Human Rights Blog

‘Twenty years on from Bournewood, the case that prompted the introduction of DoLS, and as the Mental Capacity Amendment Bill tolls the death knell for DoLS and introduces as their replacement Liberty Protection Safeguards, the High Court (HHJ Coe sitting as a Deputy High Court Judge) has given a sharp reminder of the human and financial cost of what happens when a hospital fails properly to discharge its obligations under the Mental Capacity Act and as a result, falsely imprisons (in a hospital) a patient.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 5th February 2019

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com