A New CPS Code: Have Your Say
The CPS is consulting on proposed changes to the rules prosecutors follow when making charging decisions - including how victims’ views, circumstances and risk are considered
The Crown Prosecution Service has opened a public consultation on a revised Code for Crown Prosecutors. The Code guides prosecutors when deciding whether to bring a case, what charges to use and how a prosecution should move forward. It sounds technical, but the decisions it shapes can have a huge impact on victims and survivors.
One proposed change is about victim voice. The CPS wants prosecutors to consider a victim’s circumstances, any views they have provided, and any risk to them when deciding whether a prosecution is in the public interest. But there is an important detail.
The CPS says it would not routinely seek victims' views, except where the Victims’ Code already requires it. So there is a clear question worth asking:
If victims’ views are going to be considered, when and how will victims get the opportunity to provide them?
The consultation also looks at delays in the Crown Court. The CPS is proposing that prosecutors should be able to consider things like cost, delay and deterrent effect when selecting charges, as long as the charge still reflects the seriousness of the offence and gives the court enough power to sentence appropriately. Reducing delay matters. Anyone who has waited months or years for a case to progress knows the impact that can have.
But so does confidence that decisions are being made for the right reasons.
This consultation is open to anyone. You do not have to answer every question, and you can focus only on the issues that matter most to you.
It closes at midnight on 8 November 2026.
At M.Y.H, we believe reform is stronger when the people affected by the justice system are part of the conversation. Read the proposals. Share your view. Have your say.
