Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre
Yarl's Wood Immigration Detention Centre is situated at Clapham near Bedford. It opened on 19th November 2001 and was built to hold up to 900 detainees making it the largest immigration detention centre in Europe at the time. It is currently operated by the Group 4 subsidiary GSL. In December 2003, a mirror reporter discovered institutional racism and a lack of care of inmates [1]. In September 2005 Manuel Bravo from Angola killed himself while on detention there.
Hunger strikes
In December 2001 just after opening the first hunger strike began with five Roma detainees refusing to eat. Since then there has been numerous hunger strikes
February 2002 Fire
In February 2002, the building was burnt down following a protest by the detainees. This was triggered by a 55 year old woman being physically restrained by staff. When the fires started the Head of Group 4 security ordered all staff to exit the building, locking the detainees inside the timber framed building.It later emerged that the government had failed to install a sprinkler system. Although there was an investigation, no members of Group 4 were ever prosecuted. Detainees were dispersed prior to the reopening of the undamaged wing in September 2003
November 2006 Riot
A group of detainees rioted in November 2006 after being refused to watch a news report criticising conditions at the centre