Morton Hall Immigration Removal Centre

(asked on 4th March 2021) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps have been taken to inform relevant next of kin of detainees who have died at Morton Hall Immigration Removal Centre.


Answered by
Chris Philp Portrait
Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
This question was answered on 9th March 2021

On 19 February 2021 a man who was detained at Morton Hall immigration removal centre sadly died; the first death in the immigration removal estate since 2019.

The published Home Office Detention Services Order 08/2014 “Death in immigration detention” provides guidance as to the actions that Home Office and contracted supplier staff must take in the event of a death in detention. These actions include notification of the death to appropriate bodies, identifying potential witnesses to the death and supporting the individuals who are in detention. Each death in immigration detention is subject to investigation by the police, the coroner (or Procurator Fiscal in Scotland) and the independent Prisons and Probation Ombudsman. All relevant bodies were informed on 19 February.

In accordance with the guidance, the individual’s family has been informed and a family liaison officer has been assigned. Our thoughts and condolences are with the individual’s family and friends. In parallel, a community notice was issued at Morton Hall to inform residents of the death, the independent investigation and where to access support. In addition to this, ad-hoc assessments were undertaken of all individuals with open, or recently closed, Assessment Care in Detention and Teamwork (ACDT) plans and formal assessments undertaken of those considered particularly vulnerable to the news.

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