Immigration Detention in Greece and UK

For too long, both Greece and Britain have sought to reduce rates of irregular migration by relying increasingly on detaining the immigrant other. In both countries, detention practices raise a series of profound normative questions. Starting with a general overview of the Greek and British immigration system, this article turns to focus more narrowly on life and experiences of detainees and staff in the many detention sites in the two countries. Drawing on ethnographic research in two European member states, this article hopes to contribute to the nascent body of applied research in this field. In so doing, we outline the need for more empirical analysis of life in immigration detention with a view to understanding the internal dynamics that condition how detention is experienced and managed in these two countries