Detention of third-country nationals in return procedures Table 1: Types of alternatives applied by EU Member States Duty to surrender documents Austria273 Belgium274 Bulgaria275 Germany276 Denmark277 Estonia278 Finland279 France280 Hungary281 Ireland282 Lithuania283 Malta284 Netherlands285 Poland286 Portugal287 Slovenia288 Sweden289 UK290 Residence restrictions Bail / sureties x Regular reporting Release to case worker Electronic monitoring x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x Source: FRA, September 2010 283284285286287288289290 pre-removal detention, which includes irregular migrants and asylum seekers. In 2009, the rate has increased to around 30%.271 In 24 out of 28 regional directorates of the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior, alternatives were applied to 198 foreigners between 1 January and 26 November 2010. In the Netherlands, the Council for the Administration of Criminal Justice and Protection of Juveniles in their Advice on Detention of Aliens highlighted that even though detention of foreign nationals is officially a measure of last resort, alternatives are used rarely and the government is not actively looking for alternatives.272 273274275276277278279280281282 271 In 2008, alternatives were used for 1,809 persons, whereas detention was applied to 5,398 individuals. In 2009, alternatives were resorted to for 1,877 persons and pre-removal detention to 5,991 persons. See the official Ministry of Interior statistics, available for 2008 online at: http:// www.bmi.gv.at/cms/BMI_Niederlassung/statistiken/files/Fremde_ Jahresstatistik_2008.pdf; and for 2009 at: http://www.bmi.gv.at/cms/ BMI_Niederlassung/statistiken/files/Fremde_Jahresstatistik_2009.pdf. 272 Advies Vreemdelingenbewaring by the Raad voor Strafrechtstoepassing en Jeugdbescherming, 16 June 2008, available online at: http://www.rsj.nl/ advies/adviezen/index.aspx. 273 Section 77.1 and 77.3 Aliens Police Act. 274 Arrêté royal fixant le régime et les règles de fonctionnement applicables aux lieux d’hébergement au sens de l’article 74/8, § 1er, de la loi du 15 décembre 1980 sur l’accès au territoire, le séjour, établissement et l’éloignement des étrangers, 14 May 2009. 275 Art. 44.5 Law on Foreigners. 276 Germany, Residence Act at Section 61.1. 277 Danish Aliens Act at Section 34.1 and Section 34.a.1. 278 Estonia, OLPEA, at 10.1 – 2. 279 Finnish Aliens Act, at Articles 118, 119 and 120. 280 Art. L 552-4 & L 552-5 CESEDA. 281 Hungarian TCN Act, at Section 62. 282 Section 14(1), Immigration Act 2004 and section 5(4) Immigration Act 2003. 52 Although not comprehensive, this information suggests that alternatives are not frequently used. One of the main policy reasons for favouring a deprivation of liberty over the use of alternatives to detention is fear of absconding. There is however a notable scarcity of data on absconding rates of individuals to whom alternatives were applied. Statistics from two pilot projects relating to alternatives to detention suggest that alternatives do not necessarily increase the absconding rate and can lead to increased voluntary return. In Belgium, 79% of the families who were put in the housing units as part of a recent pilot project which combined placement in designated accommodation with individual coaching, have remained in contact with the authorities291. Similarly, recent experiences with community placement combined with individual case management in Australia had an absconding rate of 6%, whereas 67% of those not granted the right to stay departed voluntarily. The innovative approach tested in Australia is outlined in Textbox 2. 283 Aliens Act, Section 115.2. 284 Immigration Act at Article 25(A)(13). 285 Aliens Act at Article 57. 286 Act on Aliens, Article 90.1(3). 287 Law 23/2007, Article 142.1. 288 Aliens Act, Article 56 (regarding restrictions of movement) and Article 59 on more lenient measures. 289 Aliens Act, Chapter 10, Section 8. 290 UK 1971 Immigration Act Schedule 3, paragraph 2(5) Operational Enforcement Manual 2008, Chapter 55.20, Immigration and Asylum (Treatment of Claimants, etc) Act 2004 at Section 36. 291 See http://www.vluchtelingenwerk.be/bestanden/2009-12-02-ANALTERNATIVE-TO-DETENTION-OF-FAMILIES-WITH-CHILDREN.pdf, p. 2.