The European Commission is pressing ahead with its new Common European System for Returns. This legal framework would make returns of immigrants quicker but also more punitive, with longer detentions, stricter conditions, and the creation of “return hubs” in third countries.
But do these proposed measures reflect the views the people who implementing them – the police officers, judges, prosecutors and social workers? Our research shows that the new system is not only ineffective in achieving its aims, it also aggravates the situation for those affected, and violates their human rights.
