“I'm just going to give up and let them do what they've got to do… My goal at the end of the day, is to get free and get back to life”: Exploring the experiences of ethnic minority adults who have been compulsorily detained in secure settings.

Paper 1 is a systematic literature review which aimed to explore whether ethnic disparities in compulsory detention continue to exist internationally for ethnic minority and migrant groups when compared to majority groups, whilst also aiming to synthesise possible explanations for this. This review aimed to expand upon a previous review conducted by Barnett et al. (2019). 10 quantitative studies were critically appraised, and the results were synthesised using narrative synthesis. The findings showed that ethnic minority and migrant groups continue to be at increased risk of compulsory detention on an international scale when compared to majority groups. Reasons for detention included: ethnic density; access and engagement with services; impact of diagnosis; risk/aggressive behaviours; sociodemographic factors; communication and cultural barriers. Due to methodological limitations impacting interpretation of the findings, this review highlighted that further longitudinal and qualitative research is needed to explore the lived experiences of ethnic minority and migrant groups in relation to compulsory detention.

Paper 2 is an empirical research study which explored the lived experiences of ethnic minority adults who have been compulsorily detained in secure settings in the United Kingdom (UK). Disproportionate rates of compulsory detention for ethnic minority groups compared to White-British groups has been a longstanding issue in the UK despite a number of initiatives being proposed to tackle these inequalities. Due to limited qualitative research in this area, the current study explored the experiences of six participants from diverse ethnic minority backgrounds using semistructured interviews. Data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Five group experiential themes were identified: 1) Our voices don’t matter, 2) ‘Disproportionate use of force and power; 3) ‘Racialised and culturally invalidated’; 4) ‘Feeling held back’; 5) ‘A bittersweet experience’. The findings showed that lack of early help from professionals, insufficient support from prison systems, and lack of social support contributed to compulsory detention. Participants described feeling powerless, experienced a lack of choice and autonomy during their detention, and were subject to coercive treatment. Participants reported unequal and racialised treatment which was also related to intra-ethnic and inter-ethnic differences in staff-patient relationships. Anti-racist practices should be embedded into services and services should involve meaningful service-user co-production.

Paper 3 (3a) is an executive summary of the empirical paper which has been written in a way that is accessible to participants who took part in the study, service-users, and for distribution to services and Trusts. The executive summary was reviewed with a participant from the study to review design, content, and readability. An additional executive summary (paper 3b) has been created to provide a shorter summary for service-users should they prefer this.