Figures released on 31 July by the Ministry of Justice paint a complex picture of a prison service making heroic strides in some areas while struggling to cope with the impact of rising prison numbers and dramatic cuts to prison staff and budgets, says the Prison Reform Trust. Most worryingly, the figures show a significant increase in the numbers of self-inflicted deaths in custody, the number of incidents of recorded assaults (including fights) in prison and the number of assaults on staff. Commenting, Juliet Lyon, Director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: (these figures are).. ‘warning signs of a prison service placed under unprecedented strain. Ministers must heed and not dismiss what the facts and figures are telling them. Slashing prison budgets while warehousing ever greater numbers in larger prisons overseen by fewer and less experienced staff is no way to transform rehabilitation.’