Alien experience: Foreign national prisoners after the deportation crisis

Abstract

This article explores the experiences of foreign national prisoners both before and after April 2006, when it was discovered that over 1000 had been released without first being considered for deportation by the Immigration and Nationality Department (IND).2 It is argued that negative representations of this group of prisoners have exaggerated the threat they pose to society, masked their individuality and encouraged unequal treatment within the prison and immigration systems. The article draws largely on interviews conducted during two major investigations by HM Inspectorate of Prisons. 3 A central consideration of the article is the impact of immigration problems on other issues such as resettlement, rates of self-harm and the experience of prisoners' families.