Alternatives to Prison

(asked on 17th November 2016) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to develop and implement community-based alternatives to detention for (a) vulnerable people who have already been detained and (b) people at risk of vulnerability as a result of detention.


Answered by
Robert Goodwill Portrait
Robert Goodwill
This question was answered on 20th April 2017

There is always a presumption of liberty and detention is only ever used sparingly and for the shortest period necessary. For those individuals with no right to remain in the UK, we expect them to leave the country of their own volition and the Home Office has programmes to support voluntary return.

The Home Office expects that current and planned reforms, and broader changes in legislation, policy and operational approaches will lead to a reduction in the number of the most vulnerable detained and the duration of detention before removal.

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