Scots Immigration Centre Offers Bingo, Spa Days and Football

_{Bingo on offer at the foreboding Dungavel House. (Image: PA Images/Alamy)} 

An inspection of Scotland’s only immigration removal centre found that detainees at Dungavel House in Lanarkshire were offered a daily schedule of leisure and communal activities, including bingo nights, while awaiting deportation. The report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) described the environment as “purposeful, friendly and equitable” and praised the staff’s efforts to promote wellbeing and participation among the roughly 150 people held there.  

Detainees offered a broad range of activities

According to the inspection summary, every new arrival at Dungavel House receives a basic mobile phone with £5 credit. Daily text messages inform them of the day’s activities, a mix of social, recreational and educational offerings.  

Detainees could participate in up to nine hours of activities a day, covering weekends as well as weekdays. These included use of a gym, a cinema room, a learning centre, and a social hub containing a library, shop, barber salon and computer suite.  

Among the social events listed were bingo nights, card games and games evenings, all reportedly popular with residents. The centre also organised a spa day for women and a five a-side football tournament for men.  

Welfare‑Focused Management, but Concerns Remain

HMIP’s December 1, 2025 report noted improvements. For example, detainees held for more than six months now receive weekly welfare checks. Staff levels and management capacity have increased, contributing to what inspectors described as a “culture of care.”  

However, the inspection also raised important concerns, particularly regarding the treatment of women. The centre’s women’s unit was described as pleasant, but inspectors highlighted limited access to gender appropriate clothing and the absence of nightwear; some women reportedly slept in tracksuits. Female detainees were also routinely escorted around the site, significantly restricting their freedom of movement.  

These shortcomings were flagged as “priority concerns.” The report said two new managers had recently been appointed to oversee equality, diversity and inclusion work, in a bid to address the issues.  

Findings Suggest Nuanced Reality

The findings challenge a simplistic narrative of immigration detention as uniformly bleak or punitive. The fact that detainees had ready access to recreational and social opportunities, from bingo to spa treatments, suggests a more nuanced reality, where welfare and wellbeing are part of the management ethos, alongside detention and the prospect of removal.

That said, the disparities in treatment, particularly for women, highlight persistent shortcomings. The inspectors’ praise for “good outcomes” and “positive staff resident relationships” does not obviate serious concerns about dignity, equality and autonomy.

For policymakers, advocates, journalists and communities alike, the report prompts difficult questions about the role of detention: is the emphasis on wellbeing a sign of decency, or does it risk normalising an inherently coercive situation?