Updated: 10 Dec 2025

Revised: Sep 2019; 26 Feb 2026

The definition of forced marriage to be used will be in line with the offence under section 121 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

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: 2 Mar 2023; minor revision 5 Jan 2024; Revised 26 Feb 2026

This legal guidance sets out how prosecutors should apply the Code for Crown Prosecutors (the Code) when considering any offences which fall within the definition of 'Honour'-Based Abuse (HBA)

Updated: Oct 2019; 1 Nov 2024; 31 Jul 2026

Updated: 31 Jan 2024, 17 Oct 2024, 31 Oct 2024, 5 Nov 2024, 13 Feb 2025, 17 Mar 2025, 17 Jul 2025, 16 Apr 2026, 24 Apr 2026

This guidance specifies the cases which must be referred to CPS Headquarters (Private Office, Director of Legal Services, Press Office); Central Casework Divisions and CPS Proceeds of Crime; Chief Crown Prosecutors/Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutors or Area Complex Casework Units/Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) Units for information or for decision making.

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.

Updated: 11 September 2020