Asylum seekers' experiences of criminalisation in the UK

• In Event: Immigration, crime & citizenship, Panel 7, Security and structural violence against migrants and refugees

Abstract

The criminalisation of migrants has gained unprecedented focus due to the political discourses and policy framework introduced and implemented in the UK. Nevertheless, it has significantly affected the daily lives of asylum seekers and refugees in the UK. This article aims to explore how asylum seekers in the UK have been criminalised and determine how this might impact their everyday experiences. To this end, this article discusses the criminalisation of asylum seekers in the UK, examining the intersection between UK immigration policies and practices. Thirty asylum seekers and refugees were interviewed for this research. Findings show how asylum seekers have been criminalised through pre-crime techniques, actuarial penology, forced destitution and street-level policing by stakeholders. Discussing the everyday life encounters of asylum seekers, this research will give insight into how they question negative and harmful labelling, and struggle against the power of criminalisation.

Author

• Niroshan Ramachandran, School of Law, Criminology and Policing, Edge Hill University