Morton Hall to reopen as prison for foreign nationals

A former immigration detention centre which ceased to operate in July is to reopen as a prison in early December.

Morton Hall, near Swinderby, Lincolnshire, attracted criticism due to high levels of self-harm and violence.

In 2020, the Home Office confirmed it would return to its former use as an adult male prison.

Lincolnshire's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) said it would house adult male foreign national offenders.

It will be the third specialist prison in England dealing with foreign nationals, alongside HMP Maidstone and HMP Huntercombe.

PCC Mark Jones said in a report to the county's police and crime panel: "As a national resource the intention is that the majority of inmates will move back to their place of origin (or be deported) on release."

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Jones confirmed Morton Hall had ceased operating on 23 July and would reopen in "early December".

The decision to close the detention centre was taken after inspectors raised concerns about how long people were being held on the site and the impact this had on their mental health.

There were also concerns around self-harm and violence at the centre, which had seen four deaths over a five-year period.

HM Prison and Probation Service said when it reopens it would create almost 400 extra prison places at the site over a 12-month period.

The service said no compulsory redundancies were expected.

Mr Jones said meetings had taken place to discuss timelines and "understand any potential impacts to the locality" when it reopened.

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