Roundtable: Contemporary Trends in Immigration Detention: A Changing Landscape

Session Submission Type: Roundtable Session

Abstract/Description

For over a decade, the study of immigration detention has drawn significant attention from scholars of punishment and society. These scholars have emphasized its role in expanding the penal landscape and transforming traditional punishment. Research has revealed the mutable nature of immigration detention regimes, highlighting their flexibility and enduring presence compared to other forms of penal power. Despite extensive scholarship, there is still a lack of conceptual tools and empirical explorations needed to fully understand subregional and country-specific variations in immigration detention systems.

This roundtable, inspired by contributions from the Special Issue "Changing Landscapes of Immigration Detention" recently published in the journal Punishment and Society, aims to address this gap. By discussing diverse case studies and practices from different geographic locations, we will illustrate the nuanced aspects of immigration detention systems and the varied forms this practice takes. This will also allow us to provide a set of tools for analyzing the complex landscape of immigration detention today. Our objective is to showcase the dynamic contexts shaping detention, resulting in national systems influenced by unique combinations of socioeconomic, political, and legal trends historically configured and connected to countries' post/neo/colonial histories.

Sub Unit

• Area XIV. Roundtables

Discussants

• Cristina Fernández-Bessa, University of A Coruna

• Jose Angel Brandariz, University of A Coruna

• Giuseppe Campesi, University of Bari Aldo Moro

• Jukka Könönen, University of Helsinki

• Ana Ballesteros-Pena, Complutense University of Madrid