Facing the challenges of immigration detention 

AVID, the Association of Visitors to Immigration Detainees, is a registered charity founded in 1994 in response to the increase in numbers of individuals being detained under Immigration Acts in the UK. As the national organisation for groups visiting immigration detainees, AVID's role is to provide support to individuals and groups who visit some of those detained across the UK.

Visitors are often the only person who is not an official, and can be seen as a lifeline by detainees; many of whom feel isolated, confused, angry and frightened. We support visitors to do their work through providing training in how to support people in detention, providing regular information and networking opportunities. We produce a Handbook For Visitors which is available to all and regularly updated. We provide advocacy and support to visitors groups and ensure that through contact with individual detainees, visitors and groups, issues are voiced and raised at the national level.

Visitors groups are all independent and work with AVID to share best practice.  

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News!

9th November 2009 **NEW REPORT**

AVID is pleased to announce the completion of a short term research project. 'Visiting Foreign National Prisoners: Findings from a Scoping Study', by Dr Mary Bosworth, is available by clicking here.

For further information on this project please contact Sally Tarshish, AVID Chairman, or visit the FNP section of this website. AVID would like to thank the Sigrid Rausing Trust for supporting this work.

September 2009

AVID now has a London office! On a temporary basis we are renting an office space from Asylum Aid:

You can contact our new Director, Ali McGinley, at this address and on 0207 354 9631 (x222) or 07900 196 131.

Patrons: Belinda Allen, Colin Firth, Lord David Ramsbotham GCB CBE, and John Scampion CBE