An investigation has been launched into the death of a 27-year-old detainee in an immigration detention centre, the third such death in a matter of weeks.

Home office officials confirmed that the man, a Polish detainee, died at Morton Hall immigration removal centre in Lincoln on Wednesday. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman is carrying out the investigation.



There were two deaths last month in UK detention centres, one of them also in Morton Hall and the other in Colnbrook IRC near Heathrow.

According to other detainees, the man who died this week is thought to have killed himself after being refused bail just before Christmas. His partner, whose pregnancy was too advanced to attend the bail hearing, gave birth to the couple’s son on the same day he died.

The detainees said the man who died was “young and quiet, never causing any trouble. He spent his time watching TV, playing games and at the gym.” They added that the mood at the centre was very low after his death.

Detainees said the man had not committed any crime in the UK and that he had sought medical help for mental health problems.

A spokesperson for the Unity Centre in Glasgow, which supports asylum seekers and other migrants including those in detention, said: “While centres like Morton Hall exist, with indefinite periods of detention in place and among the increasingly hostile environment manufactured towards migrants within the UK, preventable deaths will continue.”

Emma Ginn, director of the charity Medical Justice, which assists sick immigration detainees, many of whom have significant mental health issues, said: “We are deeply disturbed to hear of a third death in a matter of weeks, bringing the death toll since 2000 to 39 who died in immigration detention or shortly after release. Year after year, investigations into these deaths reveal ongoing systemic healthcare failings. We fear that as long as these failings continue to go unaddressed there will be more deaths. We call for urgent action.”

IRC Morton Hall is a 392-bed unit run by the Prison Service on behalf of the Home Office. It was previously a women’s prison.

A Home Office spokesman said: “We can confirm that a 27-year-old Polish man who was detained at Morton Hall immigration removal centre was found dead on Wednesday 11 January. Our thoughts are with the individual’s family at this very sad time. As is the case with any death in detention, the police have been informed and a full independent investigation will be conducted by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.”

The Centre for Mental Health was commissioned by NHS England to conduct a rapid mental health needs assessment into people held in detention centres across England. While their report identified some examples of good practice, the authors found that most detainees felt as if they were not being listened to and were treated as if they were lying, and that detention had a significant impact on wellbeing. The report calls for more effort to ensure that those with marked vulnerabilities are not detained and 24/7 access to crisis care.

• In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14. Hotlines in other countries can be found here