Description:
This webinar, from November 12, 2008, features Leslie E. Velez of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, and Margaret Lee Higgins of Survivors of Torture, International. It is part of the National Capacity Building (NCB) webinar series. NCB is a project of the Center for Victims of Torture.
There were a number of excellent resources that were referenced or recommended during the course of this Webinar. We have sorted the list by: Documents and Reports; Legal Services Specifically for Detained Survivors; Information on Detention Alternatives and Detention Centers.
Documents and Reports:
From the Detained Torture Survivors Legal Support Network, coordinated by Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS)
FAQs About the US Immigration Detention System
Pocket Knowledge, a 40-page booklet filled with practical information for individuals released from immigration detention. It is also useful for others who have recently arrived in the United States, particularly asylum seekers. It is available in English, Arabic, French, and Spanish.
Pocket Knowledge: http://www.rcusa.org/uploads/pdfs/PocketKnowledge.pdf
(Pocket Knowledge is hosted by the Refugee Council USA as part of their collection of Manuals and Reports.)
From Physicians for Human Rights (physiciansforhumanrights.org). PHR has a number of documents pertaining to detention. Some that were mentioned in the Webinar are:
The Manual on Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (known as the “Istanbul Protocol”) is the first set of international guidelines for documentation of torture and its consequences. It can be found in several languages at: http://www.irct.org/investigation—documentation/the-istanbul-protocol/read-the-protocol.aspx
From Persecution to Prison The Health Consequences of Detention for Asylum Seekers
https://s3.amazonaws.com/PHR_Reports/persecution-to-prison-US-2003.pdf
Legal Services Specifically for Detained Survivors
San Diego (Casa Cornelia) http://www.casacornelia.org
Washington, DC (CAIR Coalition) http://www.caircoalition.org
St. Paul, MN (Advocates for Human Rights) http://www.theadvocatesforhumanrights.org/
Los Angeles, CA (LAFLA) http://www.lafla.org
Information on Detention Alternatives and Detention Centers
The 2009 Immigration Detention Reforms fact sheet has some information on detention alternatives: http://www.ice.gov/news/library/factsheets/reform-2009reform.htm
Website for the Immigration Health services. http://www.inshealth.org
During the Webinar, it was noted that a very large percentage of those in ICE custody are convicted felons. At many facilities, the majority of detained individuals have been released from federal or state penal institutions. Information about all the facilities can be found at: http://www.ice.gov/detention-facilities/index.htm
Detention Watch Network (http://www.detentionwatchnetwork.org)’s Detention Visitation Manual. This is a step-by-step manual for use in establishing immigration detention visitor programs.
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