Victim Not Suspect

CPS

CPS Area Inspection Programme

Preparation for the plea and trial preparation hearing

HMCPSI assessed whether the indictment was properly drafted, whether the draft indictment and key evidence were served in time, and whether the advocate was instructed before the hearing. This theme applies to Crown Court and RASSO casework only, not to the magistrates' courts. Read our explainer.

The national position at baseline

Crown Court
65.9%
RASSO
66.7%

How each Area moved

This theme does not apply to magistrates' courts casework, so the figures below are for the Crown Court only.

Movement chart. Preparation for the plea and trial preparation hearing, Crown Court. 14 CPS Areas, each showing the 2021-22 baseline score and the 2024 follow-up score out of 100, sorted by follow-up score, highest first. Highest is Mersey-Cheshire at 83.8 percent, lowest is London North at 47.4 percent. Band boundaries sit at 60 and 70 percent.

baseline 2021-22follow-up 2024rosefellunder 1pp
  • Mersey-Cheshire+1.383.8%
  • Wessex+14.578.1%
  • East Midlands−7.473.2%
  • West Midlands+13.572.5%
  • South West+5.069.1%
  • Thames and Chiltern+15.265.9%
  • East of England+1.665.4%
  • North West−16.464.5%
  • Cymru/Wales−7.363.9%
  • South East−8.963.9%
  • Yorkshire and Humberside+2.363.5%
  • North East−0.461.8%
  • London South−4.549.7%
  • London North−3.147.4%
Each row runs from the 2021-22 baseline dot to the 2024 follow-up dot on a 0 to 100 scale. The two faint guides mark 60 and 70, the boundaries between not meeting, partially meeting and fully meeting the standard.
Fully meeting
4 of 14 Areas
Partially meeting
8 of 14 Areas
Not meeting
2 of 14 Areas

At follow-up in the Crown Court, 4 of the 14 Areas fully met the standard, 8 partially met it and 2 did not meet it.

The RASSO strand

66.7%Rape and serious sexual offences, baseline

Measured once, 2021-22

Why there is no follow-up figure

RASSO casework was assessed in the 2021-22 baseline and was not re-assessed in the 2024 follow-up. HMCPSI's stated reason is that too few RASSO cases from the relevant period had reached a conclusion for a meaningful sample to be drawn, a consequence of the Crown Court backlog. The 2025 thematic inspection of early advice and pre-charge decision making in adult rape cases does not fill the gap: HMCPSI had intended to compare its findings against the baseline and abandoned that comparison, stating the approach had changed too much for a direct comparison to be fair.

How the scores are read

Each Area was assessed on 90 cases at baseline: 30 magistrates' courts, 40 Crown Court and 20 RASSO. Percentages are the total points awarded expressed as a share of the maximum available, with two points for fully meeting the expected standard, one for partially meeting it and none for not meeting it. Answers recorded as not applicable are excluded.

  • FMFully meeting the standard, 70% and above
  • PMPartially meeting the standard, 60% to 69.99%
  • NMNot meeting the standard, below 60%

Sources

  • HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, baseline assessments of all 14 CPS Areas, published October 2021 to November 2022.
  • HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, Area Inspection Programme, follow-up of the 14 CPS Areas in England and Wales, January 2025, publication CP001:1320.

The Area Inspection Programme narrowed after the follow-up. What happened to the programme.