Detention of asylum seekers in Australia

Abstract

Detention is the most draconian punishment known to most liberal democratic societies. To incarcerate a person for an indefinite period when they have committed no crime is difficult to justify under any circumstances. Australia places many asylum seekers, most of whom have suffered past trauma, including torture, in open-ended terms of detention. Terms of 4 years or more are not uncommon. Children are not exempt from such treatment, whether or not accompanied by a family member. The health effects of detention have been previously documented (see Lancet 2001; 357: 1436–37).