A new report from the Jesuit Refugee Service UK (JRS UK), authored by Dr Sophie Cartwright, Senior Policy Officer, shows that it is extraordinarily difficult for people in immigration detention to access legal advice.

Drawing on research from Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre, Accessing legal advice in detention: becoming an impossibility exposes severe dysfunction in the Detained Duty Advice Scheme (DDAS), with only 38% of those surveyed receiving any legal representation.

Key findings include:

Many detained people never receive the legal consultation they’re entitled to under the Detained Duty Advice Scheme (DDAS).

Legal advisors often lack capacity, leaving even strong cases without representation.

Automatic legal representation under the Detained Asylum Casework (DAC) system frequently fails.

Remote provision of legal advice, leaving vulnerable people confused and vulnerabilities going unnoticed.

Legal advisors declining to take on cases requiring Exceptional Case Funding.

Poor quality and incomplete legal representation

This lack of timely and effective legal support leaves detainees at greater risk of wrongful deportation, prolonged detention, and separation from their families.

David Ryall, Director of JRS UK, said:

“This report confirms what JRS UK encounters time and again: people in immigration detention are being denied access to justice. Without legal advice, people face separation from their families and return to countries where they are at risk of persecution or even death. This is a profound moral failure. It is the result of deep-rooted systemic issues with the functioning of legal aid for asylum and immigration cases, combined with structural problems in immigration detention itself. Urgent action is needed.”

The report calls for urgent reform to legal aid provision and a reconsideration of the use of detention as a tool of immigration control.

Recommendations from JRS UK include automatic legal appointments with clear communication and interpreter access; a Legal Aid Agency review of DDAS providers to improve quality and capacity; and in-person legal support at detention centres.

Download the full report here: Accessing legal advice in detention July 2025

The Jesuit Refugee Service UK (JRS UK) is the refugee agency of the Jesuits in Britain, accompanying, serving and advocating for the rights of refugees and people seeking asylum. To find out more about the work please visit the website here.

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