Prison
Cat C
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Morton Hall
IMB Annual Report 2023 · Published 18 July 2024
HMP Morton Hall, a Category C prison for foreign national males, completed its transition from an IRC in early 2023 and operated with an average population of 333, below its 353 capacity. The Board found the prison safe and humane, with good officer-prisoner relationships and improved work ethic. Key concerns persist regarding delayed Early Removal Scheme (ERS) deportations, a high number of prisoners leaving on immigration bail, ongoing property transfer issues, and a significant number of unemployed prisoners. The Board raised recommendations concerning these areas to the Minister, Prison Service, and Governor.
Positive Findings
Morton Hall is regarded as a safe prison that treats prisoners fairly and humanely, evidenced by good officer-prisoner relationships and a welcoming atmosphere. There is easy access to physical and mental healthcare services, and a refurbished gymnasium is well used. Preparation for resettlement includes education and an increased range of work opportunities in 2023, alongside a systematic approach to release planning. The IMB found Governors and staff to be supportive and frank in their engagement, providing good access to information for monitoring.
Key Concerns
Resettlement/Release
That many prisoners eligible for ERS do not leave at the earliest opportunity; indeed, many arrive at Morton Hall having passed their ERS date, meaning their deportations are delayed and the cost to HM Prison Service (HMPS) is increased (paragraph 7.3.3). If advantage of the ERS increase to 18 months (effective mid-January 2024) is to be taken, casework needs to be accelerated.
Overcrowding
Why, in light of reported prison overcrowding elsewhere and with some 10,000 foreign national prisoners in UK prisons, does HMPS routinely operate Morton Hall below the 353 roll capacity (paragraph 3.4.2.1)?
Resettlement/Release
What can be done to reduce the number of prisoners - more than one in ten - who leave on immigration bail rather than having their cases decided prior to leaving Morton Hall (paragraph 7.3.2).
Overcrowding
Improving the arrangements for identifying and transferring foreign national prisoners from other prisons, given the continued gap between the planned and actual roll and the reported prison overcrowding pressures on prisons (paragraph 3.4.2.1; also brought to the attention of the Minister, above).
Other
Repeated
Improving the systems for inter-prison property transfer (paragraphs 3.4.2.2, 5.8.1, 5.8.2, 5.8.3).
Food/Catering
Increasing the daily food cost allowance, given levels of food cost inflation and the current reliance on carbohydrates (paragraphs 5.1.2, 5.1.10; Annexes 3 and Applications to the IMB).
Food/Catering
Repeated
Enforcing the DHL contract (which delivers canteen items to the prison) to reduce the rate of returns for canteen goods and, in particular, ensuring: (a) a satisfactory quality of fresh food items; and (b) a regular and reliable supply of advertised items (paragraph 5.1.9).
Education/Purposeful Activity
Repeated
Extending the contract for librarian services to provide full five-day per week absence-relief cover, avoiding the need to close the library and rely on the trolley service (paragraph 7.1.5). Please note that we also made this recommendation in our previous report.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Ensuring that there is a meaningful work content in every available job (paragraph 7.2.2).
Education/Purposeful Activity
Reducing significantly the number of job seekers and unemployed prisoners (paragraph 7.2.3).
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Continuing to improve prisoners’ work ethic by ensuring they report for work on time, fully enforcing the 15-minute movement-to-work allowance; also, to consider reducing that allowance to ten minutes in order to increase, albeit marginally, the time at work and in education (see paragraph 7.2.4).
Segregation
Ensuring a full range of purposeful distractions and activity for prisoners in the care and separation unit (CSU) (paragraph 5.2.2).
Other
Reviewing – as reported anecdotally to the Board – the actual or perceived inconsistencies in Governor approaches to disciplinary decisions (paragraph 5.3.2).
Food/Catering
Ensuring that prisoner canteen (the weekly delivery of items a prisoner has bought from the prison shop) returns are refunded promptly (paragraph 5.1.9).
Estate/Conditions
Improving the quality of cooking appliances for Johnson, Sharman and Torr units (paragraph 5.1.1).
Other
Assisting with the IMB’s monitoring work so that the schedule of meetings published annually is accurate and that such meetings take place. In addition, that where these are unavoidably cancelled, IMB members are informed (See para 8.1.1).
Other
The lack of a managing chaplain for the whole year has an adverse impact on the support that could be provided by the chaplaincy.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Officer-prisoner relationships at Morton Hall are consistently good, with a welcoming atmosphere and supportive actions from staff. Key worker allocations typically occur within two days of reception, with about 60% of sessions covered, an improvement on the previous year. While Morton Hall ranks well for key working provision, improving the quality of sessions remains a priority. The prison benefits from a full and settled catering team, which the Board commended.
Healthcare
Healthcare services are provided under contract by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, offering a 7-day, 24-hour primary care service, supplemented by specialist clinics and visiting professionals. Due to the generally young population, prisoners are considered relatively healthy. The mental health team, however, carries the most vacancies, with caseloads managed by a clinical matron and support from a visiting psychiatrist.
Regime & Daily Life
Morton Hall operates as a Category C prison for foreign national prisoners, with sentence planning and resettlement circumscribed by Home Office rules. Prisoners in Windsor and Fry units eat in their cells, while others collect food from the main kitchen and also eat in cells. Several regime changes occurred during the year due to rising prisoner numbers, leading to some prisoners missing a settled routine. However, time out of cell has increased, and an 'enrichment hour' was introduced in September 2023.
Applications to the IMB
Prisoners can apply to their IMB about any aspect of their treatment. This table shows application counts by category.
| Category | Current | Previous | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions | 7 | 1 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 4 | 4 | — |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 8 | 2 | |
| Equality/Diversity | 4 | 2 | |
| Food and kitchens | 0 | 3 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 8 | 3 | |
| Incentives and earned privileges | 1 | 0 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 1 | 2 | |
| 1 | 1 | — | |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints | 16 | 10 | |
| Pin phones | 2 | 1 | |
| Property related to Morton Hall | 5 | 7 | |
| Property related to previous prison | 17 | 10 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 6 | 2 | |
| Resettlement | 1 | 1 | — |
| Segregation | 1 | 0 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC (home detention curfew), ROTL (release on temporary licence), parole, release dates | 15 | 4 | |
| Sentence related: immigration | 19 | 8 | |
| Sentence related: re-categorisation | 16 | 3 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 4 | 9 | |
| Transfers | 0 | 1 |
Recommendations (16)
Ministry of Justice: 3
HMPPS: 4
Governor / Director: 9
4 repeated
Recommendation 1
That many prisoners eligible for ERS do not leave at the earliest opportunity; indeed, many arrive at Morton Hall having passed their ERS date, meaning their deportations are delayed and the cost to HM Prison Service (HMPS) is increased (paragraph 7.3.3). If advantage of the ERS increase to 18 months (effective mid-January 2024) is to be taken, casework needs to be accelerated.
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Response
Regarding our comments to the Minister about prisoners continuing to arrive having passed their ERS date and remain in prison when earlier action could have resulted in deportation and less frustration amongst eligible prisoners, there has been more timely notification from the HO of IS91 status.
Recommendation 2
Prev. unaddressed
Why, in light of reported prison overcrowding elsewhere and with some 10,000 foreign national prisoners in UK prisons, does HMPS routinely operate Morton Hall below the 353 roll capacity (paragraph 3.4.2.1)?
Ministry of Justice
Overcrowding
Response
There was an accelerated approach to increasing prisoner numbers, but Morton Hall continues to operate below capacity, which is equivalent, on average, to an empty wing/landing.
Recommendation 3
What can be done to reduce the number of prisoners - more than one in ten - who leave on immigration bail rather than having their cases decided prior to leaving Morton Hall (paragraph 7.3.2).
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 4
Prev. unaddressed
Improving the arrangements for identifying and transferring foreign national prisoners from other prisons, given the continued gap between the planned and actual roll and the reported prison overcrowding pressures on prisons (paragraph 3.4.2.1; also brought to the attention of the Minister, above).
HMPPS
Overcrowding
Response
There was an accelerated approach to increasing prisoner numbers, but Morton Hall continues to operate below capacity, which is equivalent, on average, to an empty wing/landing.
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Improving the systems for inter-prison property transfer (paragraphs 3.4.2.2, 5.8.1, 5.8.2, 5.8.3).
HMPPS
Other
Response
The Board has not observed any improvement in inter-prison property transfer.
Recommendation 6
Increasing the daily food cost allowance, given levels of food cost inflation and the current reliance on carbohydrates (paragraphs 5.1.2, 5.1.10; Annexes 3 and Applications to the IMB).
HMPPS
Food
Recommendation 7
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Enforcing the DHL contract (which delivers canteen items to the prison) to reduce the rate of returns for canteen goods and, in particular, ensuring: (a) a satisfactory quality of fresh food items; and (b) a regular and reliable supply of advertised items (paragraph 5.1.9).
HMPPS
Food
Response
problems with the prisoner canteen have continued.
Recommendation 8
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Extending the contract for librarian services to provide full five-day per week absence-relief cover, avoiding the need to close the library and rely on the trolley service (paragraph 7.1.5). Please note that we also made this recommendation in our previous report.
Governor / Director
Education
Response
we note that the library continued to be closed when the Librarian was absent
Recommendation 9
Ensuring that there is a meaningful work content in every available job (paragraph 7.2.2).
Governor / Director
Education
Recommendation 10
Reducing significantly the number of job seekers and unemployed prisoners (paragraph 7.2.3).
Governor / Director
Education
Recommendation 11
Repeated
Prev. addressed
Continuing to improve prisoners’ work ethic by ensuring they report for work on time, fully enforcing the 15-minute movement-to-work allowance; also, to consider reducing that allowance to ten minutes in order to increase, albeit marginally, the time at work and in education (see paragraph 7.2.4).
Governor / Director
Regime
Response
we have observed improvements in two of the four areas we identified (work ethic and roll reconciliation).
Recommendation 12
Ensuring a full range of purposeful distractions and activity for prisoners in the care and separation unit (CSU) (paragraph 5.2.2).
Governor / Director
Segregation
Recommendation 13
Reviewing – as reported anecdotally to the Board – the actual or perceived inconsistencies in Governor approaches to disciplinary decisions (paragraph 5.3.2).
Governor / Director
Other
Recommendation 14
Ensuring that prisoner canteen (the weekly delivery of items a prisoner has bought from the prison shop) returns are refunded promptly (paragraph 5.1.9).
Governor / Director
Food
Recommendation 15
Improving the quality of cooking appliances for Johnson, Sharman and Torr units (paragraph 5.1.1).
Governor / Director
Estate
Recommendation 16
Assisting with the IMB’s monitoring work so that the schedule of meetings published annually is accurate and that such meetings take place. In addition, that where these are unavoidably cancelled, IMB members are informed (See para 8.1.1).
Governor / Director
Other
Other IMB Reports for Morton Hall
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
30 Oct 2023
Unannounced
Safety: 4
Respect: 4
Activity: 2
Release: 2
28 Oct 2019
Unannounced
Safety: 3
Respect: 3
Activity: 2
Release: 3
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.