What we do (and what we don’t do)

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) takes criminals to court. We prosecute criminal cases that have been investigated by the police and other organisations in England and Wales.

We are independent. This means we make our decisions separately from the police and government.

What we do

Our job is to make sure the right person is prosecuted for the right crime. We bring offenders to justice wherever possible.

We do this by:

  • deciding which cases should go to court
  • working out what charges to bring in serious or complex cases, and giving advice to police during investigations
  • preparing cases and presenting them in court
  • giving information, help and support to victims and witnesses

How we make decisions

Our prosecutors must be fair and independent. When deciding whether to prosecute someone, our lawyers must follow the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

This means that to charge someone with a crime, prosecutors must be satisfied that:

  • there is enough evidence to give a realistic chance of conviction
  • prosecuting is in the public interest

Working with others

We work closely with the police, courts, judges and other partners to deliver justice.

What the Crown Prosecution Service does:

  • We give advice to police during some investigations
  • We review cases after police investigations are complete
  • We decide which cases should be prosecuted based on 1) whether there is enough evidence and 2) whether a prosecution is in the public interest
  • We work out what charges to bring against defendants
  • We prepare cases for court
  • We provide support and information to victims and witnesses throughout the process
  • We present cases in court, or we ask lawyers who are not directly employed by the CPS (‘advocates’) to present them
  • We sometimes get involved with appeals after conviction or sentencing
  • We make all of these decisions independently – we are separate from the police and the government.

What the Crown Prosecution Service does not do:

  • We do not investigate crimes - this is done by the police and sometimes other organisations
  • We do not make arrests - this is done by the police during investigations
  • We do not decide who is guilty or innocent - this is decided by juries and magistrates in court during the trial
  • We do not sentence offenders - this is done by judges and magistrates after conviction
  • We do not represent individual victims in court - we represent the public (or “The Crown”) throughout the case
  • We do not deal with civil cases - we only handle criminal prosecutions
  • We do not set government policy on crime or make laws - we are independent from government.