Deaths, self harm and levels of vulnerability in detention

The request was refused by Home Office.

Dear Home Office,

Thank you for confirming the nature of information held on vulnerability within detention (case ref 57920) as per the Case Information Database (CID) category fields. Please outline the instances in which the following cases in immigration detention, between the period of 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020, were recorded:

- Recorded deaths in detention
- Number of detainees held, who have made 'threat of self harm'
- Number of detainees held, who have made a known suicide attempt

Please disaggregate figures by the above categories, and by 'levels' of vulnerability in cases where these have been assigned (e.g. 'Adults at Risk Level 1', 'AAR Level 2', 'AAR Level 3').

Please note: It is recognised that these vulnerability categories (deaths, threat of self harm, suicide attempts) are not mutually exclusive, and that some detainees may have been recorded as having two or more of the above case outcomes. This is why the number of these instances (deaths, self-harm threats, suicide attempts), is being sought rather than the number of total detainees. Any other caveats on the integrity of data provided should be issued in the usual way. Where additional deaths, suicide attempts or self-harm threats may not be recorded on the database, please disclose the data available to you and caveat this.

Kind regards
M Esslemont

FOI Requests, Home Office

Thank you for contacting the Home Office FOI Requests Mailbox. This is to
acknowledgement receipt of your email.

show quoted sections

FOI Requests, Home Office

M Esslemont,

Thank you for contacting the Home Office with your request.

This has been assigned to a caseworker (case ref 59755). We will aim to send you a full response by 02/09/2020 which is twenty working days from the date we received your request.

If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you,

P. Zebedee
FOI Requests
Home Office

show quoted sections

DS FOI, Home Office

2 Attachments

Good Morning

 

Please find attached the response to your recent Freedom of Information
request.

 

Regards

 

[1]A4 page image  

 

FOI (Freedom Of Information) Request and Complaints
Manager

Corporate Operations and Oversight Team

Detention & Escorting Services

Home Office Immigration Enforcement

3rd Floor Apollo House, 36 Wellesley Rd, CR9 3RR

 

 

 

show quoted sections

References

Visible links

Dear DS FOI,

On 11 August you submitted the following understanding of my request, as part of a request for clarification:

"the number of people who were logged on the Home Office Case Information Database (CID) as an Adult At Risk between the period of 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020 and were also recorded as having made a threat of self harm, having made a known suicide attempt or have been recorded as a death in detention."

This is partially correct. I have requested this data be provided in a disaggregated form, according to AAR level (e.g. "1", "2", "3"), each seperate "type" of requested vulnerability ("death", "suicide attempt", "threat of self harm"). I have requested *all* data on AAR levels and the outlined vulnerability 'types', so it is noted that some individuals may have made a threat of self harm, died or attempted suicide but not be represented as an AAR - these should also be included in the figures.

Please also note that the requested time period refers to individuals' presence in detention, not the date that a new entry may have been added to the CID. For example, an individual logged on the CID in 2016 as an asylum seeker, who was detained at any point between April 2019 - March 2020, should be represented in the requested figure .

Yours sincerely,
M Esslemont

DS FOI, Home Office

Thank you for emailing the Detention and Escorting Services Freedom of
Information request inbox. 

The inbox is monitored Monday to Friday 07.30 to 15.30 (ex Bank Holidays)
and all messages received

will be dealt with in date order.

show quoted sections

FOI Requests, Home Office

M Esslemont,

 

Thank you for contacting the Home Office with your request.

 

This has been assigned to a caseworker (case ref 59909). We will aim to
send you a full response by 10/09/2020 which is twenty working days from
the date we received your request.

 

If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

Thank you,

 

P. Zebedee

FOI Requests

Home Office

 

show quoted sections

IE PQs, FOIs and Correspondence, Home Office

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Esslemont,

Please find attached a response to your recent Freedom of Information Act
enquiry.

 

Kind regards

 

Home Office

Immigration Enforcement Secretariat.

Freedom of Information & Parliamentary Questions Team

Sandford House

West Midlands

 

show quoted sections

Dear IE PQs, FOIs and Correspondence,

Thank you for advising on case ref 59909, under the FOI Act 2000 obligation to provide advice and assistance in cases where FOI exemptions may occur. I wish to remove aspects, in my original request, relating to Adults at Risk levels. I understand this will take a further 20 working days to provide from the date of this dated 3 September 2020.

The renewed request reads as follows:

"Please provide the number of times the below outcomes - taking place within immigration detention - were recorded between 1 April 2019 and 1 April 2020. Please disagregate by outcome 'type':

- Recorded deaths in detention
- Number of detainees held, who have made 'threat of self harm'
- Number of detainees held, who have made a known suicide attempt

I understand that figures may be double-counted, which is why this request is for the number of logged 'incidents' rather than inviduals.

Please note that the data should account for the number of times these outcomes have occured during the outlined period. For the purpose of this request, please note that 'immigration detention' refers to people being held under Immigration Powers, including those in Immigration Removal Centres, Short-Term Holding Facilities and HMPs as per previous responses to such requests."

Yours sincerely,
M Esslemont

FOI Requests, Home Office

Dear M Esslemont,

Thank you for contacting the Home Office with your request.

This has been assigned to a caseworker (case ref 60222). We will aim to send you a full response by 01/10/2020 which is twenty working days from the date we received your request.

If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you,

N McKenzie
Home Office

show quoted sections

DS FOI, Home Office

2 Attachments

Dear Ms Esslemont,

 

Please find attached a response to your Freedom of Information request
dated 3 September 2020.

 

Kind regards,

[1]A4 page image  

FOI (Freedom Of Information) Request Lead

Detention & Escorting Services

 

Home Office Immigration Enforcement

3rd Floor Apollo House, 36 Wellesley Rd, CR9 3RR

 

 

 

show quoted sections

References

Visible links

Dear DS FOI,

I wish to request an internal review of case ref 60222, on the basis that this information can be provided within the cost limit stipulated, and that the public dataset referenced in the response does not provide information on 'deaths' in the format requested.

Firstly, the following outcomes are stored on the Case Information Database which can be cross-referenced to provide data on vulnerabilities within detention as per previous requests such as case ref 54835, 54439, 53957 and others. This is known, as in case ref 58994 you have confirmed the following information, relevant to my initial request and follow-up simplified request, to be held on the CID:

- TOSH - Threat of Self Harm
- DTSH - Threat of Self Harm
- SUIC - Known Suicide Attempt / DKSA

Secondly, I contest the refusal on this request on the basis that the dataset you have referenced in relation to deaths in detention does not include a disagreggated figure on death. In table 3 of the dataset outlined (Det_D03), the 'other' figure includes deaths but also those returning to "criminal detention", absconsions and sectioned individuals. As a result, it is not possible to discern the information I have requested on deaths in detention, so this dataset is sadly not useful.

Please provide the data, which was requested in the first instance, at internal review stage.

Yours sincerely,
M Esslemont

DS FOI, Home Office

Thank you for emailing the Detention and Escorting Services Freedom of
Information request inbox. 

The inbox is monitored Monday to Friday 07.30 to 15.30 (ex Bank Holidays)
and all messages received

will be dealt with in date order.

show quoted sections

FOI Requests, Home Office

M Esslemont,

Thank you for contacting the Home Office with your request for an Internal Review of FoI case ref 60222.

This has been assigned to a caseworker and we aim to send you a full response by 26/11/2020 which is twenty working days from the date we received your request.

If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you,

P. Zebedee
FOI Requests
Home Office

show quoted sections

FOI Responses, Home Office

1 Attachment

Dear M Esslemont

 

Please find attached our internal review response to your request for
information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

 

Kind regards

 

Information Rights Team

Knowledge and Information Management Unit

Securities, Estates & Information Directorate

Home Office | 2 Marsham Street | London SW1P 4DF

 

 

show quoted sections