The Center for Research and Community Action at the University of Seville (CESPYD), the Jesuit Migrant Service (SJM), and members of the Human Behavior Modeling and Measurement research group at the Mind Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC) at the University of Granada (UGR) have developed the first study on mental health in Foreigner Internment Centers (CIEs) in Spain.
The study involved 87 interviews with individuals detained in centers in Algeciras, Madrid and Valencia, where the SJM network entities are present. The average length of stay in Spain for those interviewed was five years, and the majority of nationalities of origin were Moroccan (58%) and Latin American countries (39%).
CIEs as High-Risk Spaces for Mental Health
The results reveal that 70% of the people surveyed exhibit high levels of anxiety and depression symptomatology. Furthermore, two out of ten individuals admit to having attempted self-harm during their stay at the CIE. Seventy percent of the individuals began experiencing this symptomatology following their internment in the CIE, with situations of nervousness, tension, restlessness, loneliness, sadness, entrapment, excessive worry or sleep problems prevailing above the average.
Another aspect addressed by the study relates to issues concerning quality of life. The detainees largely feel safe in the centers, with high ratings for healthcare and their relationship with the police, but they negatively assess both legal assistance—due to lack of information and communication difficulties with their lawyer—and the quality of the food in the centers.
The detainees comment that resources exist to preserve mental health within the centers, notably including the possibility of practicing sports, walking, or other physical or leisure activities. Similarly, 87% expressed willingness to use a psychological support service if one were offered by the CIE. Therefore, the report makes recommendations to the authorities, such as establishing a culturally competent psychological support service, accessible to both detainees and police and service personnel.
The study defines CIEs as high-risk spaces for the development or exacerbation of mental health problems among detainees, who face an unplanned loss of freedom, depersonalization, isolation, confusion and uncertainty. Additionally, there are communication difficulties with professionals and feelings of humiliation.
The State is responsible for guaranteeing the right to health of detainees, and the study warns that detention contributes to poor mental health, with CIEs being high-risk spaces for self-harm incidents. Mental health is a human right to be preserved and upheld.
Given all these findings, the report urges institutions to commit to providing spaces for support, dialogue and reflection; the availability of sports and leisure activities; the improvement of legal assistance; the reduction of waiting times; and the prioritization of precautionary measures provided by law, reserving internment as a last resort in very specific cases.
*Photo: "Diáspora" (Installation) by Colombian Visual Artist Doris Yaneth Vargas López.
References
Paloma, V., Benítez, I., Agüero-Collins, A., López-Núñez, C., & Saavedra-Macías, F. J. (2025). Perceived detention environment and mental health of detainees in immigration detention centers in Spain. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 12(3), 1446-1457. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-024-01977-3
Contact at the CIMCYC
Isabel Benítez (ibenitez@ugr.es)