Survivors of abuse at a South Gloucestershire detention centre are being invited to come forward to claim compensation and get justice for their mistreatment in the 1970s and 1980s.
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has set up the Eastwood Park Detention Centre Settlement Scheme to provide compensation of up to £9,500 to the hundreds of men who suffered horrific physical abuse at the centre in Falfield.
Eastwood Park was a detention centre for boys that operated during the 1970s and 1980s as part of the Government’s sanction of ‘short, sharp shock’ policy towards rehabilitating youth offenders, although detainees were often sent there because of minor and trivial offences.
Hundreds of men have come forward to make allegations of physical and sexual abuse at the hands of the institution.
It has since been found that Eastwood Park saw the mistreatment and abuse of teenage boys detained within the centre by the officers who failed to act with duty of care, with minors having been subjected to horrific abuse.
A former officer, Patrick Devaney, was convicted in 2023 of misconduct in public offence and imprisoned for three-and-a-half years.
The MOJ has now agreed a settlement scheme for former detainees to be compensated if they suffered primarily physical abuse by staff whilst detained at Eastwood Park. The MOJ has confirmed that it will also consider allegations of sexual abuse as part of the scheme.
The scheme operates outside of the civil courts, which means that survivors can be compensated without the need to go through complex legal proceedings. Three categories have been established: category one for those who served three months or less at Eastwood Park; category two for those who served more than three months; and category three for individuals who sustained a lasting physical or psychological injury as a direct result of their treatment there.
Awards of compensation will range between £3,000 and £9,500.
The Ministry of Justice has established a dedicated team to deal with the claims quickly and will provide a letter of apology as part of any settlement. Claimants will receive 100% of their award and will not have to pay any legal costs for the work undertaken on their behalf.
Jane Matthews, Head of Abuse Compensation at Jordans Solicitors commented: “Having spoken with hundreds of survivors of historic abuse, we know that the long-term effect and impact that these experiences have had on many former detainees is immense.
“Whilst we appreciate compensation will not erase the lasting physical and psychological impact on our clients, we also know that receiving justice and the acknowledgment of what happened is a significant factor in helping our clients to move forward.
“That is why at Jordans we are committed to assisting individuals to seek compensation, achieve justice and hopefully a form of closure.
“We are very pleased that the Ministry of Justice has agreed this scheme, and we would strongly encourage anyone who has not yet pursued a compensation claim to do so as soon as possible.”
Jordans Solicitors have represented over 100 former detainees of Eastwood Park, along with hundreds more for similar redress schemes for individuals that experienced abuse whilst at detention centres.
Their dedicated team of highly specialist solicitors will ensure that your claim is handled sensitively and in confidence.
