“A prison with extra flavours”: experiences of immigrants in Swedish immigration detention centres

Abstract

Purpose -The immigration detention environment largely influences the health and well-being of detainees by either aggravating medical conditions or contributing to new illness. There is limited research on how detainees experience and try to cope with this environment. The purpose of this paper is to describe experiences of detainees in Swedish immigration detention centres. Design/methodology/approach -Semi-structured interviews were conducted in three detention centres with a total of 21 detainees who had been detained for at least two weeks. Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings -The detainees likened immigration detention to imprisonment. They experienced lack of control over their life situation mainly through arbitrary restrictions and lack of proper response from authorities making it appear futile to seek help. This perceived lack of control forced them into passivity. Differences in amenities provided in the centres were observed and some of these were reported to assist in making detention more bearable. Research limitations/implications -This study provides only one stakeholder perspective. The perspectives of other stakeholders, such as detention staff, health care professionals and volunteers must be explored to improve understanding and mitigate the effects of detention. Originality/value -Irrespective of the better standards of detention in Sweden, the detainees considered detention as imprisonment affecting their health and well-being. If states deem detention to be necessary, improved staff-detainee interaction should be ensured through proper staff training, arbitrary restrictions within detention should be avoided and health care services should be improved.

Quality of life among immigrants in Swedish immigration detention centres: a cross-sectional questionnaire study

“…Detention staff constitutes a major part of the detention environment ( 13 ). The impact of staff behaviour on detainee health and well-being has been discussed in earlier studies ( 9 – 13 , 29 ). Staff practices such as calling detainees by numbers instead of names, threatening detainees, and treating them disrespectfully has been shown to have a negative impact on detainees’ health ( 11 , 29 ).…”

“…The impact of staff behaviour on detainee health and well-being has been discussed in earlier studies ( 9 – 13 , 29 ). Staff practices such as calling detainees by numbers instead of names, threatening detainees, and treating them disrespectfully has been shown to have a negative impact on detainees’ health ( 11 , 29 ). Our results show a positive association between the increasing level of help provided by detention staff as well as the detainees’ satisfaction of care they received with detainees’ QOL scores.…”

“…In addition to the WHOQOL-BREF questions, participants were asked four questions that measured their satisfaction with the services provided at the centres (service satisfaction scores). These questions were developed from qualitative studies conducted by the authors ( 13 , 29 ). Table 1 shows the main outcome variables and their scoring scale.…”

A Humane Approach Can Work: The Effectiveness of Alternatives to Detention for Asylum Seekers

“…For example, immigration detainees in secure Swedish facilities reported that "detention is worse than prison because in prison at least the outcome and the time period are known." 55 A canadian study also found increased rates of posttraumatic stress and depression among detained versus non-detained asylum seekers. 56 And although u.S. studies on recent central American asylum seekers have not yet been conducted, several women have attempted suicide, 57 and many have launched hunger strikes 58 and protests.…”

Detainees, staff, and health care services in immigration detention centres: a descriptive comparison of detention systems in Sweden and in the Benelux countries

“…This setting needs to be explored to identify practices that could mitigate negative effects on health. The authors have conducted such explorative studies in the Swedish detention centres ( 15 – 17 ). These studies identified issues, such as language barriers, restrictions within detention centres, limited access to health care, unfavourable staff behaviour, and lack of adequate training and support for detention staff, negatively influencing the health and well-being of detainees.…”