Source · IMB Annual Report

Morton Hall

AI-generated report summary HMP Morton Hall, a Category C prison for foreign national offenders, reported a generally stable regime and improvements in keyworker sessions and healthcare provision during 2025. However, the Board expressed significant concerns about a 74% increase in self-harm, rising use of force incidents, and ongoing issues with delayed or lost prisoner property transfers. A 35% cut to education provision severely impacted purposeful activity and employment opportunities, alongside persistent delays in the Early Removal Scheme for foreign national prisoners.

Year: 2025 Published: 4 Aug 2026 Type: Prison · Cat C Population: 346 Recommendations: 14 Key concerns Positive findings

Original IMB report page ↗ Ministerial response · 15 Sep 2026 ↗

Safety statistics

Incidents during reporting year

Indicator	This year	Previous
Deaths in custody	0	—
Self-harm incidents	115	66
ACCT cases opened	97	76
Prisoner assaults	33	32
Assaults on staff	7	6
Use of force	87	60
Drug finds	50	88

Positive findings

AI-generated summary

The Board observed positive interactions between staff and prisoners, noting a rehabilitative approach and that prisoners compare the regime favourably with other prisons. Keyworker sessions increased and scored well for quality, with the prison meeting its target for initial keyworker meetings. Staffing levels in healthcare improved, and the team provides well-managed, integrated care, with low levels of complaints. The catering team is well-organised, managing to provide for special diets and festivals on a limited budget, and new kitchen equipment has resolved previous issues. Improvements in complaint handling, including quicker response times and daily governor oversight, were noted. The gym is popular and well-used, offering successful stoicism courses that promote resilience. Education attendance improved following changes to the ‘rest in cell’ policy, and prisoners reported overwhelmingly positive feedback on classes. The digital education platform has been successfully embedded, and the library remains a valued service. Use of force and violent incidents remained at low levels, and self-harm incidents, while increased, are subject to comprehensive analysis and ACCT monitoring.

Key concerns

11 items

Safety Incidents of self-harm increased by 74% in 2025, and use of force incidents also rose, requiring further analysis and potential improvements in ACCT processes and staff training. Source wording under review

Regime/Time Out of Cell Repeated Property remains a major cause of complaints with no measurable improvement since 2024, principally involving transfers of property from other prisons.

Estate/Conditions Repeated Use of domestic washing machines in three units is still causing need for frequent repairs or replacement.

Education/Purposeful Activity A 35% cut in the education provision at Morton Hall has led to redundancies within the teaching staff and a significant reduction in educational classes available to prisoners.

Regime/Time Out of Cell Repeated The numbers of prisoners not in work or education remains at a concerning level to the Board. This has not been helped by the education cuts during the year.

Resettlement/Release Repeated There are often delays in the removal of foreign national prisoners due to the backlog being processed, despite additional HO resources being employed, as well as increased prisoner appeals and issues with HO arranging flights or travel documents.

Estate/Conditions The project to build a small secure house block was abandoned after considerable expenditure and disruption due to a decision that it was not financially viable.

Staffing A Managing Chaplain was still awaiting completion of vetting for the assigned post at the end of 2025, highlighting the current duration of vetting for staff posts, which is approximately 40 weeks and risks losing potential entrants.

Mental Health The prisoner listener scheme is currently on hold due to the unavailability of training from the local Samaritans, impacting vital peer support for mental health.

Regime/Time Out of Cell There is a significant loss of stock. In 2025 350 books CDs and DVDs were not returned. The librarian does not have enough time to chase these up. In the Boards view the problem lies with a system that does not require accountability or traceability for loan items.

Regime/Time Out of Cell While some criteria are objectively based, many are based on subjective evaluations by prison officers or staff. Evaluating prisoners for enhanced status should be based on clearly defined criteria that minimises the subjective assessments which may occur to ensure fairness. In discussions with prison management, it is understood that there is an intent to review these subjectively-based criteria so they become more standardised and more objectively based.

Recommendations

14 items · 3 repeated

Recommendation 1

Addressee: Other — minister

A 35% cut in the education provision at Morton Hall has led to redundancies within the teaching staff and a significant reduction in educational classes available to prisoners. Education and workshops play an important role in maintaining the mental state of prisoners while at Morton Hall and in their rehabilitation into society after leaving prison. Will the Minister please take steps to restore the education provision to former levels thereby allowing an improved offering of courses to prisoners? Is it possible for this prison to meet the standards required by the prison inspectorate (Appendix E) without the resource needed to provide meaningful education and activity for all? (7.1).

Source text verified

Recorded status:

Topic: Education

Recommendation 2

Addressee: Other — minister

When prisoners have an ERS date there are often delays to them leaving even if they have agreed to go. Can the Minister provide the reasons for these hold ups and reduce the extra time men spend in prison? (7.3.4).

Repeated Source text verified

Government response

Regarding the question you raise in terms of HO processing, since my response to your last annual report early in September 2024, the Government has laid legislation to expand the early removal scheme. This will enable the deportation of FNOs sooner. It is estimated that this will reduce demand by up to 500 prison places per year based on current removal rates. HM Prison and Probation Service is investing £5 million for 82 new FNO specialist roles in prisons to both identify offenders who want to leave the UK and ensure the speedier deportation of prisoners who have no right to be in this country. The Government’s sharpened focus on this issue is already making a difference in that we have seen a 10% increase in early removal scheme returns between 5 July 2024 and 4 July 2025, compared to the same period 12 months prior.

Recorded status:

Topic: Resettlement

Recommendation 3

Addressee: HMPPS

Why was the project to build a small secure house block abandoned after considerable expenditure and disruption had taken place? It is disappointing to see money wasted on incomplete initiatives (2.6).

Source text verified

Recorded status:

Topic: Estate

Recommendation 4

Addressee: HMPPS

Will HMPPS take steps to improve the transfer of prisoners’ property from one facility to another in a timely and secure manner thereby minimising risk of property loss? Will HMPPS review current prisoner property record management and introduce improvements to the existing system (e.g. an electronic tracking system) which will minimise losses of prisoner property following inter-prison transfers (5.8).

Repeated Source text verified

Government response

I empathise with the Board’s frustrations regarding the unacceptable levels of property losses or delays when a prisoner is transferred. It is an issue that is frequently raised across the prison estate and as such is something to which HMPPS is currently giving further attention. Careful consideration is being given to the findings in the IMB national thematic report on how property loss impacts on prisoners, as well as those received from independent prisoner complaint investigations following a thematic review of the property complaints they have received in the last five years. Since receiving the reports, Governors and other senior leaders have been reminded of the most important property handling points. This includes the need to ensure compliance with volumetric control limits. HMP Morton Hall has recognised that it has not always effectively managed these previously and as such there have been delays as excess property has been sent separately. Within the last three months, new processes have been introduced to ensure prisoners only have the volume of property they are allowed and have been given options as to what to do with additional property to reduce the volume when they move on. The reception staff are building relationships with the escort contractor and receiving prisons to improve processes and are now following up missing property from the transferring establishment swiftly. These measures have resulted in HMP Morton Hall seeing a significant reduction in the number of complaints about follow on property for Q1 2025/26 compared to Q1 2024/25.

Recorded status:

Topic: Regime

Recommendation 5

Addressee: HMPPS

Will HMPPS work with Lincolnshire Police to create a prison liaison officer role to support Morton Hall to improve positive outcomes for crimes committed by prisoners or visitors while in Morton Hall? (4.3.3).

Source text verified

Recorded status:

Topic: Safety

Recommendation 6

Addressee: HMPPS

How will HMPPS reduce vetting times for staff under consideration for employment at Morton Hall? The current vetting period is around 40 weeks, which risks losing potential entrants (5.5.1).

Source text verified

Recorded status:

Topic: Staffing

Recommendation 7

Addressee: HMPPS

Will HMPPS impose a consistent rule on possession of electronic items (notably X-Boxes) across the prison network so that the same rules are in place at all establishments? (5.8.7).

Source text verified

Recorded status:

Topic: Regime

Recommendation 8

Addressee: HMPPS

Will HMPPS reconsider a facility upgrade for Torr, Sharman and Johnson units to allow industrially-rated washing machines to be installed (5.1.2).

Repeated Source text verified

Government response

Although funding is currently unavailable to improve the electrical network to allow for industrial machines to be installed, Ministry of Justice property services will complete survey work to inform a new capital bid for when additional funding becomes available. In the meantime, HMP Morton Hall have implemented a specific monitoring system of washers and dryers to identify items that need replacing and any areas where improvements can be made to the way in which appliances are managed to extend their life. This will also provide information for a business case should it be deemed value for money to upgrade the electrical supply.

Recorded status:

Topic: Estate

Recommendation 9

Addressee: HMPPS

Will HMPPS take steps as necessary to fund activities and grant a sufficient education provision to ensure every prisoner can be allocated a work role or be engaged in education as outlined in HMIP Expectations 64.1? (7.1).

Source text verified

Recorded status:

Topic: Education