JRS Ireland challenges the detention of asylum seekers. It is important to remember that non Irish nationals who are detained under immigration legislation are held in prison, alongside sentenced and remand prisoners, even though they have not committed a crime.

Under Irish legislation, detention for immigration-related reasons may apply to non-Irish nationals refused 'permission to land', unsuccessful asylum seekers and non-Irish nationals subject to a deportation order. Minors are not detained in Ireland for immigration-related reasons.

Each week, JRS Ireland staff visit women detained under immigration provisions in the Dochas Centre (the women's prison) in Dublin. In the course of these visits, support and assistance is provded to detainees in regard to legal, health and psychosocial issues that may arise.  Where needed, a JRS IReland staff memebr will link detainees with specialist service providers, for example, services for those who have been victims of trafficking for the sex industry.  Follow up support is provided where a detainee is released into a direct provision centre or opts for voluntary return to the country of origin. In some cases, post return contact is maintained.

Support for male immigration detainees is provded by a JRS Ireland staff member on request from female relatives detained in the Dochas Centre of from the chaplain in Cloverhill (a remand prison in Dublin).

Our detention related work is comprised of the following 4 key elements:

JRS Ireland organises training to provide support and information for people who visit or work with immigration detainees or who have an interest in immigration-related detention.

JRS has developed a Handbook for visitors and workers in Detention Centres.This handbook can be downloaded from our Resource Centre.

European

JRS Europe has taken a lead role in campaigning against the increased use of detention for asylum seekers and irregular migrants, and against the conditions of their detention.

JRS IReland participated in teh Detention in Europe of Vulnerable Asylum Seekers (DEVAS) research. In partnership with NGO's in 23 EU Member States, JRS Europe oversaw th ecollection of 685 one-on-one interviews with detainees, including nine from women detained under immigration legislation in the Dochas Centre. In addition to detainees, the researcher interviewed detention centre staff and others operating within the centres, and conducted a survey of the Irish asylum and immigration laws in compiling th enational report.

The objective of the DEVAS project was to investigate and analyse th econditions in detention for vulnerable asylum seekers and irregual migrants: how vulnerable groups cope with detention; what additoinal services, if any, exist in places of detention to deal with the needs of vulnerable detainees; and the effect of detention in exacerbating latent vulnerablilities in the wider population of detainees.  The DEVAS report can be downloaded from our Resource Centre.

In 2004, JRS Europe completed a comprehensive research project on administrative detention of asylum seekers and irregular migrants in Europe. The research is documented in three reports. The reports were presented to the 2004 Dutch EU Presidency, the EU Commission and to members of the European Parliament.

The detention research was updated in October 2005 and this report can be downloaded from the Resource Centre.

A dedicated website www.detention-in-europe.org monitors the situation with regard to detention in European Union member states.