Not all participants reported being held in police detention, and none reported being held in police detention for longer than a few nights. While police detention is certainly in use in Kos, the practice is inconsistently exercised. The practice appears to mainly be applied as an interim measure before asylum seekers’ transfer to the PRDC. Despite only being used for short periods of time, however, conditions in police detention in Kos may still be poor and may cause individuals significant distress. 2. Carceral environment and ill treatment by police Several participants indicated their belief that the PRDC constituted a carceral environment. Zain drew parallels between his experiences of imprisonment in Syria and Turkey and his current detention in Greece, stating: “I was detained in Turkey, I was detained in Syria, once I got here, I was like, detention again. I was really scared, and it was traumatising, being in detention again”. For Zain, the very experience of being detained compounded his past experiences of serious violence and torture. Eleven participants frequently referred to the PRDC as a “prison”; an impression that was further compounded by everyday conditions within the PRDC. As Joud stated, “The first time when I arrived there and saw surrounded by detention, gates, police, everything, I said I’m definitely arrested, I’m in a prison, it’s not detention”. Florence similarly expressed her shock and disbelief at being criminalised, stating: “I was in prison. I didn’t kill anyone, I didn’t commit any crime, why should I be locked there like a criminal, I didn’t do anything… When you stay in prison, police are telling you, you are a prisoner. They are shouting at you, it’s not good”. Rashid stated, “…to be honest the situation is really bad, like I was arrested in my country and I consider detention a prison, not what they’re trying to show – you’re isolated on top of a mountain and I’ve been inside detention for 16 months…Greek people here, they treat their dogs better”. Meanwhile, Haroun recognised the punitive nature of his surroundings, stating: “Also I want to say, I am detained right now and I have a lot of rights. Even in the worst detention in Syria you would still be allowed to receive visitors and food, so I don’t know why they are doing that to us”. These statements indicate that, due to the conditions of their environment, participants frequently understood – though protested – that their detention followed from their criminalisation. During our visits to the PRDC, Equal Rights has also observed various conditions that create the impression of a carceral environment, including a continuous, heavy police presence, and an intensive use of barbed wire fences, illustrated in the figures below. This impression is further reinforced through the PRDC’s everyday administration: all detainees are assigned a 4-digit ‘ABK’ police number, by which they are addressed by the camp authorities. During a legal advice session, one of our clients, who is an (alleged) unaccompanied minor, told our staff that he felt as though he had forgotten his name, as he was only addressed by his ABK. Punitiveness pervades detainees’ experiences of the centre: they are deprived of their belongings, obstructed from accessing medical care, and provided limited quantities of poor-quality food. This sense of being punished arose within several participants’ testimonies. As Raphael stated, “I didn’t do anything wrong and now I am at the mercy of the state”. Meanwhile, Zain told us, “We’re not killers, we didn’t commit crimes. We’ve been detained for no reason”. In addition, as we previously highlighted, detainees’ experiences of arrest can, at times, further compound their impressions of the PRDC’s carceral nature. We have found that, for detained persons, the PRDC is mostly perceived and experienced as a predominantly carceral environment. a. Use of handcuffs Four participants reported being handcuffed prior to their arrival in the PRDC. Zain described being handcuffed during his journey from the airport on another island, where he was arrested, to the police station, to the port; and ,again, from the port in Kos to the police station and to the PRDC. Meanwhile, Florence, who was arrested after being apprehended in Kos Town for failing to obtain permission to be outside during lockdown, was restrained in handcuffs during her journey from the police station to the PRDC. Ismail, who was apprehended and arrested while staying in a hotel after his arrival in Kos, was 45 DETENTION OF MIGRANTS ON THE ISLAND OF KOS