Introduction

Hundreds of people across the UK volunteer each week to visit people being detained under immigration powers in detention centres and prisons. Visitors come from all walks of life, but are united in their commitment to standing in solidarity with those in detention and creating a society rooted in community not incarceration.

This chapter is designed to help prepare you for visiting people in detention. It includes practical information as well as guidance around the principles of visiting drawn from the experiences of visitor groups and people who have been visited.

However, it is important to receive an induction and training from your visitors group before visiting someone in immigration detention. A good induction will better prepare you with skills and understanding to help navigate the challenges of visiting in immigration detention. AVID provides core visiting skills training to members of our network. Co-ordinators can contact us to arrange this for your visitor group.