Unlike Yarl’s Wood IRC The Verne is a relative newcomer to the detention of people claiming asylum in the UK, having said that up until the end of 2013 it operated as a class C Male Prison, so this isn’t exactly new territory.
Situated onto of the Isle of Portland in dorset overlooking the cliffs and beaches lining the english channel, it used to be military citadel defending the port below. Theres a tremendous sense of history here, and the IRC itself is lined with abandoned houses, gardens overgrown with elder and blackberries and a small and sterile jailhouse cafe.
RICHARD SOUTH 