cps

• criticisms with cps

  • drop weaker cases to improve its conviction rate
  • argue cps shouldn't use likelihood of conviction as basis for its decisions
  • funding cuts
  • critical mistakes
  • too close to police
  • too slow, bureaucratic, poor at communicating
• cherrypicking cases

  • drop 'weak' cases
  • denies vulnerable victims a chance to heave case heard
  • the guardian 2018 - allegation that the cps wasn't taking on 'weak' rape cases

  CPS ‘cherrypicking’ cases to prosecute, say senior police chiefs

• cps shouldn't use likelihood of conviction as basis for its decisions

  • suggest evidential tests does not always serve the interests of justice
  • e.g 2014-2018 rape reports more than doubled - but prosecutions fell
  • less social control when it comes to rape
• Allison levitt 


  argued a system that only prosecutes safe cases is sending a message to attackers that vulnerable people are open to abuse as the cps will not prosecute
• funding cuts

  • cps lost 25% funding and a third of their staff
  • struggle to cope with workload
  • max hill - staff are increasingly having to sift through masses of phone data in their analysis
  • can lead to mistakes, dropping cases as not enough time
• critical mistakes

  • damilola Taylor
  • case collapsed due to witness - The prosecution relied heavily on a girl who claimed to have witnessed the attack but was caught to be lying. - police offered bribes to the girl
  • cps failed to do basic checks
• too close to the police 


  led many to question its objectivity

  also led to tense working relationships - hostile blame culture which led to inefficiency and poor preparation
• strengths of cps

  • independent from other agencies - make impartial decisions
  • uses a common test to decide whether to prosecute (Full Codes Test – evidential and public interest test) which ensures fairness and equality.
  • CPS Inspectorate inspects the work of the CPS and helps to drive improvement.
• use full code test

  • public interest test + evidential test
  • case may also go through threshold test if fails full code test
  • allows a due process model to be implemented - more fair and impartial way of investigating cases
• abu hamza

  • a radical muslim cleric convicted in 2006 for different offences however there was controversy over the CPS and it application of the full code.the CPS decided there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute but they finally prosecuted in 2006
• glidewell report

  • sir Iain Glidewell produced report in 1998
  • stated organisation lacked effectiveness and efficiency
  • referenced how the number of judge order acquittals of defendants were too high up
  • found many witnesses were unreliable in court
  • some did not show up
• lord janner 


  • escaped prosecution for serious sexual abuse of boys on three occasions due to failings of CPS
  • High Court judge concluded that three chances to put him on trial were missed because of mistakes by the police or the Crown Prosecution Service.
  • found that statements from two complainants against Lord Janner were never handed to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).