This project looks at how different factors influence the running of immigration bail hearings. In particular, it explores how the use of video link technology may change these hearings. It is an independent study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and conducted by Jo Hynes, a PhD researcher at the University of Exeter. All research activities are carried out according to the ethical guidelines set by the ESRC and have been approved by the University of Exeter ethics committee.
Research interview
The interview will be a conversation in which you’ll be asked to share your experiences and thoughts on immigration bail hearings.
Why have you been asked for an interview?
I am asking a variety of people who have experience of immigration bail hearings, including legal professionals and lay persons, for interviews. Anyone who has experience of an immigration bail hearing in the UK or US is welcome to participate in this project.
What would happen if you decide to give an interview?
If you agree to an interview, I will ask you questions about your role in immigration bail hearings, what you think about how they work and your personal experiences of them. The interview will take between 30 and 60 minutes.
Ideally, I would record the conversation to make it easier to record what you say. If you would rather not be recorded, this is not a problem. Simply inform me before we begin.
Participation is entirely voluntary and interviews will take place at a time convenient to you. Given current social distancing restrictions, interviews will take place remotely via Microsoft Teams.
What happens if you want to change your mind?
If you decide to do an interview you can later change your mind and withdraw the information you provided at any time before the research is published. I will respect your decision. If you would like to withdraw, please contact me via the email below. Equally, if there are individual questions that you do not wish to answer, then this is also fine. Just tell me that you do not want to answer that question. There is no obligation of any kind to participate, and the University of Exeter, which is hosting the research, will not discriminate against anyone who chooses to withdraw.
What happens to the information I give?
I will write up the interview recording and analyse it to see if there are any patterns in how people experience immigration bail hearings and their opinions on how they function. Your data will be securely stored and transferred, in line with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and University of Exeter policies.
The data will be used to write academic research and reports. If I want to use it for anything else I will get in touch with you first to ask your permission. I will keep the information you give me for ten years because I am required to by the University of Exeter. I will keep both the recorded interview and the written transcript of the interview.
The project will run until 2022. A final report will be made available to research participants on request. Preliminary findings may be published before this final report.
Are there any benefits to taking part?
There are no short-term benefits to taking part in this research. However, in the long-term, this project may help to inform improvements in how immigration bail hearings are conducted.
How will you protect my privacy?
All the information I receive from you is strictly confidential. Your contact details will be stored separately from the interview information and all published research will be anonymised.