We reduce delays in the Criminal Justice System
Through effective collaboration with partners, we tackle delays within the whole criminal justice system to deliver timely and just outcomes for all.
Our ambition is to reduce delays across the criminal justice system, so victims and witnesses receive timely, just outcomes. By improving early case progression, using better digital tools and working closely with the police and courts, we will shorten end‑to‑end timelines, reduce backlogs and improve overall system performance.
| We will measure success through our Key Performance Indicators: | Target |
|---|---|
| At least 75% of our green1 charging reviews or decisions are completed within 28 days, as part of our ongoing efforts to enhance performance. | ≥75% |
| At least 87% of our red2 charging reviews or decisions are completed within 3 hours, as part of our ongoing efforts to enhance performance | ≥87% |
| At least 84% of initial disclosures will be served before the plea and trial preparation hearing or in compliance with a Crown Court direction | ≥84% |
| At least 95% of initial disclosures of prosecution cases will be serviced within five days of the first magistrates’ court hearing | ≥95% |
| Our core Digital Case Management System will be available for our people at least 99.9% of planned uptime. This will measure our operational digital performance as the system is vital to our people being able to deliver timely casework and avoid unnecessary delays. | ≥99.9% |
This year we will reduce delays through:
- Using technology to speed up casework
- Improving consistency and reducing unnecessary work
- Working across the system to reduce delays together
| Programme | This year we will: | By: |
|---|---|---|
| Future Casework Tools | Improve digital tools to manage large and complex cases including case review and managing case material, to streamline case preparation and reduce avoidable delays. | 31 December 2026 |
| Improve the tools in our Casework Application that assist our people to organise, prepare and manage our casework material to save time, make the process more consistent, and improve the quality of the casework. | 31 March 2027 | |
| Create a prototype of a new Advocate Briefing and Engagement Service to explore if we can improve how we do this, and whether we can roll out the service more widely to make the process faster, clearer, and more reliable so cases can move forward more smoothly. | 31 December 2026 | |
| Charging Evolution | Work with our partners to test simpler ways to build case files for magistrates’ and Crown Court cases to explore what more we can do to increase efficiency and reduce delays. | 31 March 2026 |
| Evaluate the Charging Authority Project so we can see how well it is working, and whether we can roll out more widely to streamline processes and reduce delays. | 31 March 2026 | |
| Finalise the 7th edition of the Director’s Charging Guidance to make it easier for our partners to understand what is needed in police files. Getting this right first time saves both investigators and prosecutors considerable time and ensures that any additional work and subsequent delays are minimised. | 31 July 2026 |
- Green charging requests are non-urgent cases where the suspect hasn’t been detained. The CPS has up to 28 days to decide whether to charge them.
- Red charging requests are urgent cases where the suspect is being held in police custody. The CPS must decide whether to charge them within three hours.