Revised 15 June 2018; 23 October 2024

The CPS is a signatory to the Fail to Appear Criminal Warrants Protocol (including Warrants in First Instance) which was revised September 2026. This protocol should be applied when the police seek the withdrawal of a warrant, as should the CPS’ Standard Operation Practice model.

Rewritten: 15 March 2023

The basic principle is that it is for the prosecution, not the court, to decide whether a prosecution should be commenced and, if commenced, whether it should continue.

Updated: 8 Aug 2022, 13 Nov 2024, 1 Apr 2026, 29 Sep 2026

The criminal law in respect of public order offences is intended to penalise the use of violence and/or intimidation by individuals or groups. This document provides guidance about the charge which should be preferred if the criteria set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors are met.

Updated: 12 Oct 2021; 18 Aug 2025; 10 Nov 2025

This guidance sets out the common approach of the Crown Prosecution Service and the Serious Fraud Office to the prosecution of corporate offending in England and Wales.

Updated 3 April 2024

The Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme allows anyone to ask for certain Crown Court sentences to be reviewed by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) if they think the sentence is too lenient.

Reviewed and udpated: 31/08/2019

The primary duty of the CPS is to deliver justice through the independent and effective prosecution of crime. The purpose of making a charging decision is to determine whether a suspect should be subject to criminal proceedings. The charging decision is the gateway to the criminal justice system with all the protections that the process affords.

Updated: Oct 2019; 24 May 2024; 15 Dec 2025

The purpose of this document is to provide practical and legal guidance to prosecutors dealing with cases that involve children (Article 1 of the UN Convention defines a child as any person who has not yet reached their 18th birthday) as victims and witnesses.

Updated: 5 October 2022, 2 June 2025

Prosecutors will have come across an increasing number of cases in recent years that are not solely confined to the jurisdiction of England and Wales.

Revised: 04 May 2022; 09 September 2022; 05 December 2023; 15 October 2024

Updated: 16 July 2018

Prior to 6 April 2008, it was possible for a corporate entity, such as a company, to be prosecuted for a wide range of criminal offences, including the common law offence of gross negligence manslaughter. However, in order for the company to be guilty of the offence, it was also necessary for a senior individual who could be said to embody the company (also known as a 'controlling mind') to be guilty of the offence. This was known as the identification principle.