There are Alternatives: A handbook for preventing unnecessary immigration detention

The first version of the There Are Alternatives handbook was published in 2011 by the International Detention Coalition. This updated edition provides further research and findings over the elapsed four years, incorporating research from an additional 20 countries.

The handbook seeks to identify and describe alternatives to immigration as an offering to governments as a means of moving forward in their migration governance policies. The effects of detention on children’s cognitive and emotional development are found to be particularly threatening as they can result in lifelong conditions. The International Detention Coalition finds that alternatives to detention: cost less, support health and wellbeing, respect and fulfill human rights – to name a few.