Last inspectedAugust 2024Full inspection, unannounced
Source: HM Inspectorate of Prisons report published 18 November 2024 · last checked 29 October 2026
Latest inspection
At its last full inspection (August 2024; report published November 2024), inspectors found outcomes for detainees were not sufficiently good for safety and respect; reasonably good for activities and preparation for removal and release. It held 327 detainees at the time, against an operational capacity of 426. It is run by Serco. An independent review of progress was published in September 2025.
Safety: not sufficiently good · Respect: not sufficiently good · Activities: reasonably good · Preparation for removal and release: reasonably good Read our story
Safety: reasonably good · Respect: reasonably good · Activities: not sufficiently good · Preparation for removal and release: reasonably good Read our story
The Independent Monitoring Boards’ 2025 annual report on immigration detention describes routine use of force and isolation, long stays and failing safeguards, as the number of people detained rose by 11 per cent.
Inspectors found violence and self-harm had risen substantially at the immigration removal centre near Gatwick, where safety and respect had declined, although activities and Home Office contact with detainees had improved.
The inspectorate's report on Brook House immigration removal centre near Gatwick, published in September 2022, found a crowded centre where 28% of detainees said they had felt suicidal.
Prison News staff
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