Editing Crown Prosecution Service (section)

==Organisation==
The CPS undertook more than 800,000 prosecutions in 2012–13, approximately 700,000 of which were in the magistrates' courts and 100,000 in the Crown Court. The conviction rate was 86% in the magistrates' courts and 80% in the Crown Court.{{r|AnnualReport}}

The [[Spending Review]] undertaken by [[HM Treasury]] in 2010 (and revised in 2013) has led to a budget decrease of almost 30% between 2010 and 2014, resulting in a restructure of the organisation and a large number of voluntary redundancies. The CPS has implemented measures such as the Core Quality Standards with the intention of maintaining and raising standards.

===People===
As of 2023, the CPS employs about 7,000 staff. They primarily prepare cases for internal and external advocates and liaise with police and third parties. Its approved external advocates number 2,900 [[Solicitor|solicitors]] and [[Barristers in England and Wales|barristers]], among which are specialists. Both sets of advocates include [[King's Counsel]]&mdash;concentrated externally.{{r|AnnualReport}}

;Grades of staff
*[[Crown advocate|Crown Advocate]]s present cases in the Crown Court
*Senior Crown Prosecutors (also known as reviewing lawyers) provide advice to investigators, make charging decisions and present prosecution cases in the Magistrates Court.
*Associate Prosecutors represent the CPS in cases with guilty pleas in the magistrates' courts
*Paralegals/casework assistants provide clerical support and help with progressing cases.{{r|AnnualReport}}

===Structure===
Headquartered in London and York, the senior management team sets policies and handles corporate matters such as finance and communications. The Director of Public Prosecutions is assisted by the CPS Chief Executive in running the organisation.

====CPS Areas====
Most of its casework is dealt with by the fourteen CPS Areas, which are responsible for conducting prosecutions in specific parts of England and Wales; each area is led by a Chief Crown Prosecutor.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=The CPS Areas, CPS Direct, CPS Central Casework Divisions and CPS Proceeds of Crime {{!}} The Crown Prosecution Service|url=https://www.cps.gov.uk/cps-areas-cps-direct-cps-central-casework-divisions-and-cps-proceeds-crime|website=www.cps.gov.uk|access-date=2023-09-13}}</ref> 

The areas are composed of [[List of police forces of the United Kingdom|police force areas]], except in London where the Metropolitan Police are split across two areas. They are:
* Cymru/Wales ([[Dyfed–Powys Police|Dyfed Powys]], [[Gwent Police|Gwent]], [[North Wales Police|North Wales]], [[South Wales Police|South Wales]])
* East Midlands ([[Derbyshire Constabulary|Derbyshire]], [[Leicestershire Police|Leicestershire]], [[Lincolnshire Police|Lincolnshire]], [[Northamptonshire Police|Northamptonshire]], [[Nottinghamshire Police|Nottinghamshire]])
* Eastern ([[Cambridgeshire Constabulary|Cambridgeshire]], [[Essex Police|Essex]], [[Norfolk Constabulary|Norfolk]], [[Suffolk Constabulary|Suffolk]])
* London North ([[Metropolitan Police|Metropolitan]])
* London South ([[City of London Police|City of London]], Metropolitan)
* Mersey Cheshire ([[Cheshire Constabulary|Cheshire]], [[Merseyside Police|Merseyside]])
* North East ([[Cleveland Police|Cleveland]], [[Durham Constabulary|Durham]], [[Northumbria Police|Northumbria]])
* North West ([[Cumbria Constabulary|Cumbria]], [[Greater Manchester Police|Greater Manchester]], [[Lancashire Constabulary|Lancashire]])
* South East ([[Kent Police|Kent]], [[Surrey Police|Surrey]], [[Sussex Police|Sussex]])
* South West ([[Avon and Somerset Police|Avon and Somerset]], [[Devon and Cornwall Police|Devon and Cornwall]], [[Gloucestershire Constabulary|Gloucestershire]])
* Thames and Chiltern ([[Bedfordshire Police|Bedfordshire]], [[Hertfordshire Constabulary|Hertfordshire]], [[Thames Valley Police|Thames Valley]])
* Wessex ([[Dorset Police|Dorset]], [[Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary|Hampshire & Isle of Wight]], [[Wiltshire Police|Wiltshire]])
* West Midlands ([[Staffordshire Police|Staffordshire]], [[Warwickshire Police|Warwickshire]], [[West Mercia Police|West Mercia]], [[West Midlands Police|West Midlands]] and [[British Transport Police]]{{efn|The British Transport Police (BTP) covers the whole of Great Britain, this area deals with BTP prosecutions throughout England and Wales.}})
* Yorkshire and the Humber ([[West Yorkshire Police|West Yorkshire]], [[North Yorkshire Police|North Yorkshire]], [[South Yorkshire Police|South Yorkshire]], [[Humberside Police|Humberside]])

Before a review, these numbered 42 to mirror the police forces (save that CPS London dealt with both of London's territorial police forces).

====CPS Direct====
CPS Direct provides charging advice/authorisation by phone and electronically to police forces at all hours.<ref name=":0" /> Prosecutors assigned to CPS Direct are remote workers in order to provide support outside of normal business hours.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Great Britain: Attorney General's Office|author2=Great Britain, H.M. Treasury |title=The Law Officers' departments departmental report 2007 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lEcqamqGR8EC&pg=PA1996|date=22 May 2007 |publisher=The Stationery Office|isbn=978-0-10-171142-5}}</ref> Most charging decisions by the CPS are now made by CPS Direct, which then passes the prosecution to the appropriate CPS Area.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charging and CPS Direct {{!}} The Crown Prosecution Service |url=https://www.cps.gov.uk/basic-page/charging-and-cps-direct |website=www.cps.gov.uk |access-date=2020-05-30}}</ref>

====Casework Divisions====
The Casework Divisions deal with prosecutions requiring specialist knowledge and experience:<ref name=":0" />

* Special Crime and Counter-Terrorism Division – Appeals, counter-terrorism, and special crime, which includes deaths in custody, public corruption, and medical manslaughter. The division is also responsible for the Victims Right to Review Scheme.
* Serious Economic, Organised Crime and International Directorate - This consists of the former Proceeds of Crime Unit, Specialist Fraud, and International Justice and Organised Crime Divisions

===Oversight===
The [[Attorney General for England and Wales|Attorney General]] oversees the work of the CPS, meeting regularly with the DPP and requesting briefings on matters of public or Parliamentary concern. The Attorney General (or their deputy, the [[Solicitor General for England and Wales|Solicitor General]]) answer for the CPS's performance and conduct in Parliament.

However, the Attorney General has no role in the day-to-day running of the organisation or in deciding whether a suspect should be prosecuted. The CPS is an independent prosecuting authority and government ministers have no influence over its decision making.

The only exceptions to this rule are when a case involves matters of national security or the Attorney General must personally consent to a prosecution (e.g. all [[Official Secrets Act]] prosecutions require the Attorney General's permission to proceed).

Due to the Attorney General's limited role in the CPS's casework, the use of [[nolle prosequi]] (halting of proceedings on indictment; a prerogative of the Attorney General) is now rare. Questionable incidents, such as the dropping of the case against [[John Bodkin Adams]] for what was believed to be purely political reasons, have not been repeated in modern times.

===Inspection===
His Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) is responsible for inspecting the work of the CPS.<ref>{{cite web | title = About HMCPSI | url = http://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmcpsi/about-hmcpsi/ | publisher = HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate | access-date = 12 September 2015 }}</ref> The current Chief Inspector of the CPS is Kevin McGinty.<ref>{{cite web | title = Chief Inspector biography | url = http://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmcpsi/about-hmcpsi/roles-and-responsibilities/chief-inspector-biography/ | publisher = HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate | access-date = 12 September 2015 | archive-date = 4 March 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304030920/http://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmcpsi/about-hmcpsi/roles-and-responsibilities/chief-inspector-biography/ | url-status = dead }}</ref>