The Crown Prosecution Service
CPS 2022-23 Business Plan

We are proud to introduce this plan at such an important time for the CPS and the wider criminal justice system. It marks the third instalment of our ambitious five-year strategy, CPS 2025, and so sets out our strategic change projects under each of our five strategic aims – our people, digital capability, strategic partnerships, casework quality and public confidence. 

The pandemic was an unprecedented test for all of us, and alongside our partners we have demonstrated significant agility and resilience to continue delivering justice. We do not underestimate the significant challenges that remain – with backlogs meaning sometimes intolerable delays for victims, witnesses, and defendants. 

Our planning this year has benefited from a positive three-year Spending Review settlement, enabling us to look ahead with increased confidence and optimism. This renewed investment is a welcome vote of confidence in our collective ability to reduce pressures and meet new demand. Work is well underway to transform the service we provide, particularly to the most vulnerable, and to make sure that we all play our part in delivering fairness and justice for all. 

Our priorities for this year will help the CPS recover from the impact of the pandemic, while delivering vital improvements at the same time. We will invest carefully and significantly to reverse the stark decline in rape prosecutions, building public confidence in our handling of violence against women and girls. We will grow our digital capability to deliver higher quality casework and greater collaboration, with fewer delays. We also know that our service to victims needs urgent reform – we will improve the support we give to all victims, focusing especially on those victims with the greatest need.

Our people are our greatest asset, and our ambition must be matched by investment in our capacity and capability. We are already growing rapidly – with a refreshed strategic workforce plan and renewed efforts to recruit new advocates from a range of backgrounds. We will make sure our people have the tools they need to operate effectively – whether at court, in offices or at home. This investment will help us reduce backlogs, empower and support our frontline staff, and bring about meaningful change.

Everyone within the CPS has a role in delivering our business plan – it sets out what our priorities should be, what changes and support will help us to do our jobs, and how this improves the whole organisation’s ability to deliver independent and fair prosecutions. We will continue to be guided by our values – to treat everyone with respect, be independent and fair, be open and honest, behave professionally and strive for excellence. We trust that this plan demonstrates the many ways in which we are seeking to improve the service we provide to the diverse communities we serve and our determination to play our part in keeping the public safer.

Max Hill QC
Director of Public Prosecutions

Rebecca Lawrence
Chief Executive Officer