Your Meeting with The Crown Prosecution Service

What is this leaflet about?

This leaflet tells you about your meeting with The Crown Prosecution Service.

This meeting is to talk about the help you need when you are in court.

• Who will be at the meeting?
• What is the meeting for?
• Things you should know.

What is the meeting for?

You may be able to have help in court.

This help is called special measures.

At the meeting you can learn about what will happen at the trial and talk about the special measures you may need. Your needs and wishes will be listened to.

You can also visit the court before the trial.

The CPS decides which special measures to ask the court to let you have. The court decides what you can have.

You may find out at the meeting what special measures you will have or the police may tell you later.

The Crown Prosecution Service may think that you don't need any extra help in your trial. They must tell you why they think you don't need any extra help.

If you don't agree you can say so. They must listen to you or anyone else who thinks you do need extra help. If they agree with you, they can change their minds and ask the court to let you have the special measures.

Who will be at the meeting?

There will be a number of people at the meeting.

The Crown Prosecution Service will listen to what you think about the meeting. It is their job to decide who will come to the meeting.

You can take a friend or other supporter to help you.

You can have someone to help you communicate at the meeting. This might be a sign language interpreter.

There will be people who work for The Crown Prosecution Service.

You can ask your solicitor to come to the meeting. You will have to pay them to come to the meeting unless you are on benefits.

A police officer might also be there.

Things you should know

If you want to talk about your evidence (the things you will be saying at the trial), you must talk to the police officer at a different time. The people at this meeting cannot talk about your evidence.

Your friend or supporter can sit with you at this meeting. Your friend or supporter will not always be able to sit with you in the witness box at the trial.

A written record of this meeting will be made. This will usually be sent to the other person's solicitor.

If you need more help

Crown Prosecution Service, Public Enquiry Point, 102 Petty France, London, SW1H 9EA

020 3357 0899

We are grateful for the assistance of the Ann Craft Trust in the production of this leaflet.

Many thanks to CHANGE for letting us use their pictures

www.changepeople.co.uk is the official CHANGE website.