Australian immigration detainees’ lives controlled by secret rating system developed by Serco

Security Risk Assessment Tool – or SRAT – and similar algorithmic tools condemned as ‘abusive’ and ‘unscientific’

The lives of detainees in Australia’s immigration detention centres are controlled by a secret rating system that is opaque and often riddled with errors, a Guardian investigation has found.

Developed by Serco, the company tasked with running Australia’s immigration detention network, the Security Risk Assessment Tool – or SRAT – is meant to determine whether someone is low, medium, high or extreme risk for factors such as escape or violence.