A man has died while being held at Brook House detention centre in West Sussex.

Security firm Serco in charge of the centre has confirmed that a 26-year-old man died at the detention centre on Sunday.

Brook House has been criticised in the past by inquiries that expose a ‘toxic culture’ and inappropriate treatment.

Last year, a public inquiry into Brook House found a toxic culture where detainees were subjected to unnecessary pain. The Brook House Inquiry Report identified 19 instances over a five-month period that amounted to mistreatment contrary to Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects individuals from inhumane, degrading treatment or punishment.

These incidents include inappropriate uses of force, forcibly moving detainees while naked and targeting detainees with racist, homophobic and humiliating language.

The Brook House Inquiry chair, Kate Eves, recommended that the government change the law to limit detention at centres such as Brook House and introduce a 28-day time limit for holding detainees.

The Migration Observatory explains that detention refers to the Home Office’s practice of detaining foreign nationals to resolve their immigration statuses.

Immigration detention centres are used by the government to establish a person’s identity or to facilitate their immigration claim or removal. A report by the Migration Observatory found that in 2021, around 24,500 people entered immigration detention in the UK.

There is currently no maximum period for which detainees can be held at detention centres. According to a study by the British Red Cross, immigration detention has a known negative impact on mental health. Human rights charity, Liberty, claims that in 2019 there were two suicide attempts every day.

The details of the man’s death are still unknown, however, West Sussex County Council said a referral had been made to the coroner.