Crown Prosecution Service: Efficiency Technical Notes

The Criminal Justice Act 2003 gave the CPS the responsibility for deciding whether defendants should be charged and what the charges should be in all serious cases.

Efficiency savings will be gained by:

• Reducing discontinued and contested cases
• Increasing the proportion of guilty pleas.

This initiative is measured by the following targets:

• Reduced attrition rate (targets = Magistrates Court 31%, Crown Court 23%)
• Reduced discontinuance rate (targets = Magistrates Court 11%, Crown Court 11%)
• Improved guilty plea rate (targets = Magistrates Court 52%, Crown Court 68%)

The attrition rate measures the proportion of cases that do not result in a conviction. Discontinued cases are where cases must be halted, for example, because of new evidence or witness failing to attend court. Guilty pleas refer to cases where the defendant pleads guilty.

Charging introduces a more efficient process and reduces the average cost per case.

Data quality is ensured, as it is retained in the central system within a standard format. Figures can be corroborated, as case outcomes are also recorded by the courts (Department for Constitutional Affairs).

Data validation is undertaken by the Charging project team within the monthly reporting process and reviewed by the Charging Project Board.

Productive time efficiency savings through:

• The implementation of the Compass CMS (Case Management System)
• Police/CPS joint administration of criminal case files in co-located Trial Units and Criminal Justice Units
• Increased utilisation of Designated Caseworkers (DCWs) and Higher Court Advocates (HCAs).

Compass CMS is a national information technology solution for tracking, managing and recording caseload information. Savings will come from:

• Improved processes - saving costs in staff time through general tasks taking less time to complete
• Ending the use of legacy systems - allowing payments for licences, support and other related costs to cease
• Reduced reliance on paper based information - allowing documentation to be send and reviewed electronically, thereby saving costs.

Co-location streamlines administrative effort in preparing cases for court and reduces costs and is measured by the number of cases dealt with through co-located units.

HCAs are experienced lawyers who regularly present cases in the Crown Court and other Higher Courts. DCWs are experienced and well-trained caseworkers who regularly present cases in the Magistrates' Courts. Greater use of HCAs and DCWs in place of external advocates will improve value for money, service delivery and provide efficiencies in case briefing and case preparation. Where external advocates are more costly than internal staff, a cost saving is realised for every court session that is covered by internal staff.

Quality measures include:

• Improved case management
• Reduced duplication of effort
• Improved case outcomes.

• eProcurement utilises technology and strategic negotiations with key suppliers in order to maximise supply chain efficiencies.
• The new competitive tender for reprographics requirements will provide the opportunity to deliver savings including efficiency gains from desktop printing using multi-function devices.
• The accommodation programme will enable the CPS to deliver estate savings through the re-gearing of leases and more robust management of professional fees.

Data quality is dependent upon accurate coding of invoices and accurate accounts payable data input. This is facilitated through dedicated accounts payable staff within the newly created finance business centre.

Spend data is reviewed quarterly within the efficiency project and annually by the financial accounts branch.

Savings measures include:

• Number of redeployed staff
• Overhead cost comparison
• IT cost comparison
• Transaction processing costs.

Data quality is monitored and addressed through the monthly reporting process. Risk management is undertaken as part of this, with a full risk register maintained and updated on a continuous basis.

Data validation is performed by the Service Centre Review Team.