Twitter tour of detention reaches #Dungavel

During autumn 2014, the Detention Forum has been taking Twitter users on a ‘tour’, of the UK’s detention estate.

‘Unlocking Detention’, has been visiting all the immigration removal centres  in the UK with the aim of 'unlocking' their gates so we can take a look behind the barbed wire and see what happens inside. On 7-13 December the tour is coming to Dungavel, the only centre in Scotland.There are ten immigration removal centres in the UK, five short-term holding facilities and one centre for detaining families with children. In addition many people are held under immigration powers in prisons. Nearly 30,000 people enter detention every year and the number is rising every year. The detention estate is expanding too: a record 4,009 migrants were in detention at the end of 2013. People are detained without a time limit for months, sometimes even years.The tour aims to highlight these issues and bring them to a wider audience. You can follow it using the hashtag #Unlocked.Dungavel is the last centre on the Twitter tour before a final summary week takes us up to Christmas. As you enjoy time with your loved ones over the festive period, perhaps spare a thought for the men and women in Dungavel who don’t have that luxury, and maybe visit our volunteering page to find out what you can do to help.