'Positive' jail report lists priority concerns

An inspection into HMP Morton Hall produced a “generally positive” conclusion but listed 15 concerns.

Five of those, including lack of provision for psychological treatment and many prisoners held beyond their earliest removal or release dates, were marked priority.

The unannounced visit was carried out by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (HMCIP).

A Prison Service spokesperson said it was pleased staff's commitment to improving the prison had been recognised.

The report found purposeful activity and preparation for release were “not good enough” but the jail was “safe” and senior leaders were praised for creating a culture that was “encouraging and respectful”.

The main shortcomings identified concerned the quality of the regime and access to work and education.

Those priority concerns were:

• No provision for psychological treatment.

• Prisoners allocated to Windsor and Fry units received far less time out of cell than those on other units.

• The curriculum was not ambitious enough to meet prisoners’ needs, with too few opportunities to gain accredited work qualifications.

• As a result of delays in Home Office decision-making, many prisoners were held beyond their earliest removal or release dates.

• Prisoners had too few opportunities to progress through their sentence. Only a very small number had so far moved to open conditions or been released on home detention curfew.

Prisoners could rarely eat together, a lack of staff training in safeguarding and underdeveloped pre-release interventions to support prisoner needs were among the 15 key concerns.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: "We are pleased inspectors recognised staff’s commitment to improving HMP Morton Hall, as well as the support in place for new arrivals and the low levels of violence.

"We’re also providing greater support for those offenders with mental health problems and introducing new education courses."

Charlie Taylor, HMCIP, wrote: “Morton Hall is a capable prison and the issues we have identified are solvable. The stability of the prison and the quality of the leadership are strong foundations for the progress needed.”

It was formerly a women’s prison and more recently an immigration removal centre.

Since 2021, it has been a closed category C resettlement prison exclusively reserved for foreign national prisoners and is one of three such prisons in England.

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