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allowed the use of mobile phones. Security of the centre was maintained by large perimeter fences, but within the establishment detainees were relatively free to roam. As opposed to cells, detainees had two or three man rooms and communal shower and toilet facilities. There were around fifteen single rooms. The doors to rooms were never locked, however the gates to the three accommodation blocks were locked between midnight and six in the morning. Detainees were free to move around the blocks during this time. This relatively relaxed regime, coupled with the new influx of ex-HMP prisoners led to difficulty in maintaining discipline at
Campsfield.
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centre, but it re-opened as an
Immigration Detention Centre in November 1993. It originally had 200 places for both male and female prisoners, however in 1997, capacity was reduced to 184 and the prison became male only. The capacity rose to 282 bed spaces in 2017. Over 3600 people passed through the
332:
On
Saturday 25 November 2023, over 50 people from around the county protested at the Langford Lane entrance to the disused immigration detention centre. They listened to speeches and messages from representatives of student, anti-racist, religious, and medical organisations, local charities, trade
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Plans to expand
Campsfield in 2014-15 were withdrawn in March 2015 following broad opposition from the public and the sitting Conservative MP, Nicola Blackwood, who argued that the number of detainees would be too large, problems would arise from having two different buildings on one site, and the
156:
Detainees at
Campsfield House were held behind a 20-foot-high (6.1 m) razor wire–topped fence. Throughout the centre there were surveillance cameras, and friends and relatives wishing to visit detainees were searched before passing through five separate remote-controlled doors. Detainees were
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announced the
Government's plans to expand immigration detention facilities again. The Home Office confirmed this change in detention policy, expressing its intention to 'keep as many people in detention as the law allows.' As part of the movement towards increasing the use of detention, the Home
208:
In August 2011, Ianos
Dragutan, a 35-year-old Moldovan man, took his own life by hanging himself in a shower cubicle at Campsfield. Liz Peretz, on behalf of the Campaign to Close Campsfield, expressed deep concern over this incident, saying “This young man’s suicide must immediately raise serious
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The Home Office has stated that 'This new IRC will be a mixture of refurbished and new-build accommodation and will provide safe, secure and fit for purpose accommodation for people in detention.' Before it closed, Campsfield House had a capacity for 282 adults. The expanded site would have the
295:
The Home Office announced the closure of
Campsfield House in November 2018 as part of a policy to reduce the use of immigration detention. The government committed to 'reduce the number of those detained, and the duration of detention before removal,' and to pursue alternatives to detention, in
165:
Like all
Immigration Removal Centres, Campsfield House was regularly inspected by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons. The last full inspection was in 2014. The Chief Inspector reported: 'This was the latest in a sequence of positive reports about the centre, all of which have found consistent
61:
On 28 June 2022, the Home Office announced plans for a new immigration removal centre to be developed on the site of the former
Campsfield House IRC. On 16 July 2022, the Coalition to Keep Campsfield Closed was launched with a rally in Oxford’s Bonn Square.
328:
Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council have publicly opposed the reopening of Campsfield. Local voluntary, political and student groups are speaking out against the reopening under the banner of the Coalition to Keep Campsfield Closed.
324:
In July 2022, shortly after the government's plans were announced, a motion was tabled at Cherwell District Council opposing the reopening of Campsfield. 20 councillors voted to oppose the measure, with 18 in favour. One councillor abstained.
757:, "We, residents of Oxfordshire who care about human rights and are proud of Oxford’s status as a City of Sanctuary, are appalled by the news that the government intends to reopen Campsfield House as an immigration removal centre."
751:, 6 August 2007, "There has been a long campaign to close Campsfield House. ... The escape of 26 detainees from Campsfield House in Oxfordshire is the latest in a series of disturbances to hit the immigration removals centre."
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A Change.org petition, created by Allan, a former Campsfield detainee, with the support of the Coalition, has now gathered over 1, 000 signatures (as of December 2023). An Early Day Motion against the reopening (tabled by
78:
Although the detainee population initially consisted of asylum seekers, from June 2006 government policy saw the population change to mainly (an average of 80%) former HMP prisoners detained on immigration grounds.
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On 14 June 2008, a series of small fires broke out at the centre. 10 fire engines, 12 police vehicles and a police helicopter were dispatched to the centre, and a police cordon set up, at the request of the
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5 August 2007. "Police arrested 12 of the detainees shortly after the mass escape. ... Police are looking for 14 asylum seekers who escaped from a detention centre after a fire was started there."
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to highlight the plight of asylum seekers and the treatment of people in Campsfield House. At the count he wore a sign around his neck which read "Close Campsfield House". He won 53 votes.
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improvement.... Overall, this was a very positive inspection. Staff and managers at Campsfield House should be congratulated in dealing professionally and sensitively with detainees”.
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On 3 August 2010, over 100 detainees went on hunger strike in protest at being held for up to three years with "no prospect of removal or any evidence of future release".
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response to the findings of an independent report into immigration detention conducted by Stephen Shaw. Three other detention centres were closed in the same period.
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The initial establishment of an immigration detention centre at Campsfield House was opposed by the local parish council, however they were overruled by the
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The Home Office originally said the site would open in late 2023 at the earliest but as of December 2023, no planning application has been submitted.
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and two suicides. However, it was highly praised by the Chief Inspector of Prisons at the last full inspection in 2014. Campsfield closed in 2018.
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unions, and local councillors. The demonstration was called by the Coalition to Keep Campsfield Closed and Oxford Student Action for Refugees.
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capacity to detain around 400 men. These would be a mixture of 'time-served foreign national offenders' and 'immigration offenders'.
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held monthly demonstrations outside the premises, using the slogan 'Asylum seekers are not criminals'. They also published the
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399:"Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board at Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre for reporting year 2017"
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HM Inspectorate of Prisons (2015), 'Report of an announced inspection of Campsfield House IRC, 11–21 August 2014
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questions about health and safety inside Campsfield, especially the adequacy of health and welfare provision.”
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86:. Campsfield House was their first European contract. In 2011 operations at the facility were turned over to
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Office announced on 28 June 2022 that it was planning to expand, refurbish and reopen Campsfield House IRC.
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under contract with the British government. For 25 years, it was the site of a regular monthly protest from
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On 18 October 2013, the centre was damaged by fire. A detainee, Farid Pardiaz, was convicted of arson at
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In March 2007, there was a riot at the centre after staff used force to remove a detainee from his room.
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On 27 June 2005, Campsfield detainee Ramazan Komluca died by suicide. The 19-year-old from
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had been detained for about 6 months, and had made three unsuccessful bail applications.
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Group PLC. Mitie's contract for Campsfield House expired in June 2019.
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which gave detainees accounts of what is happening inside the centre.
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Until 2011, Campsfield was run by the American private prison company
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Campsfield House IRC was operational from November 1993 to May 2019.
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Detainees go on hunger strike at Oxfordshire immigration centre
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19/181109-Immigration-Minister---closure-of-Campsfield-IRC.PDF
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Campsfield House immigration centre fire: Man jailed for arson
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went on hunger strike and were joined by a number of others.
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424:"'Care & Custody': Mitie's detention centre contracts"
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481:"Hunger strike at immigration centre - Yahoo! News UK"
358:"Campsfield House immigration detention centre closes"
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proposal didn't warrant building on green belt land.
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asylum seekers went on hunger strike for three days.
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Immigration detention centres and prisons in England
54:campaigners and saw a number of internal protests,
755:Website of the Campaign to Keep Campsfield Closed
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75:centre in 2017, with an average stay of 39 days.
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341:MP) has been signed by 33 parliamentarians.
16:United Kingdom immigration detention centre
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144:Learn how and when to remove this message
854:Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre
404:. Independent Monitoring Board. May 2018
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931:Oakington Immigration Reception Centre
925:Morton Hall Immigration Removal Centre
879:Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre
839:Brook House Immigration Removal Centre
964:Private prisons in the United Kingdom
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844:Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre
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126:adding citations to reliable sources
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46:, operated by private prison firm
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913:Haslar Immigration Removal Centre
737:Mass escape from detention centre
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179:On 22 June 2005, a group of six
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283:Closure and proposed reopening
236:Opposition to Campsfield House
232:and was jailed for 32 months.
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70:Campsfield House used to be a
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746:Campsfield's troubled history
565:"Students Against Campsfield"
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320:Local reaction and opposition
300:Proposal to reopen Campsfield
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213:Fires and disturbances
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824:Immigration detention
687:tion_detention_centre
265:independent candidate
257:2010 General Election
32:immigration detention
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779:51.82583°N 1.31083°W
122:improve this article
919:HM Prison Lindholme
826:centres in the U.K.
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434:on 13 February 2017
269:Witney constituency
186:In August 2008, 13
784:51.82583; -1.31083
491:on August 6, 2010.
364:. 14 December 2018
304:On 14 April 2022,
250:Campsfield Monitor
230:Oxford Crown Court
34:centre located in
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927:(IRC closed 2021)
888:Former facilities
485:uk.news.yahoo.com
288:Campsfield closed
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134:October 2023
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120:Please help
115:verification
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52:human rights
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939:(2014-2018)
859:Larne House
782: /
438:12 February
339:Layla Moran
242:Home Office
188:Iraqi Kurds
170:Controversy
953:Categories
864:Maghaberry
770:01°18′39″W
767:51°49′33″N
600:2010-04-29
575:2008-06-14
368:14 October
345:References
263:ran as an
181:Zimbabwean
161:Inspection
94:Conditions
36:Kidlington
937:The Verne
84:GEO Group
849:Dungavel
655:guidance
569:Archived
519:Archived
465:Archived
362:BBC News
271:against
197:Suicides
666:centre/
267:in the
255:In the
66:History
48:Group 4
44:England
30:was an
901:Cedars
244:. The
203:Turkey
40:Oxford
402:(PDF)
88:Mitie
38:near
440:2017
410:2018
370:2021
749:BBC
740:BBC
552:BBC
537:BBC
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124:by
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