Information for cases managed by the CPS London South Area that have been reviewed as part of the Victims' Right To Review Scheme (VRR)

Request 

I would like to know:

• how many cases managed by the CPS Office of London South have been reviewed (as part of the Victims' Right To Review Scheme) from 2022 January to December 2024 (please display data on a yearly basis)?
• of those reviews, how many have been done at a local level, and how many have been referred for an Independent Review?
• how many of those reviews have led to the CPS changing their decision due to the requests - after the local review, or after an Independent Review?

Response

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) holds the following data -

Victim's Right to Review Requests - London South 2022 - 2024

This data is accompanied by a set of caveats and I would ask that you read through these carefully to help your understanding; especially in relation to the caveat outlined at bullet point ‘2’. 

General Data Caveats

1. CPS data on qualifying decisions and Victims’ Right to Review requests and outcomes are available through its Case Management System (CMS) and the corresponding Contact Application.  The CPS collects data to assist in the effective management of its prosecution functions.  The CPS does not collect data that constitutes official statistics as defined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.
2. These data have been drawn from the CPS’s administrative IT system, which (as with any large scale recording system) is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the CPS.  We are committed to improving the quality of our data and from mid-June 2015 introduced a new data assurance regime which may explain some unexpected variance in some future data sets.
3. The official statistics relating to crime and policing are maintained by the Home Office (HO) and the official statistics relating to sentencing, criminal court proceedings, offenders brought to justice, the courts and the judiciary are maintained by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ).

VRR Data Caveats

1. The VRR scheme is a two-stage process where requests can be reviewed by either local offices or a specialist Unit within HQ. In the first instance, that decision is reviewed by a manager in the local area. If he or she overturns the original decision, and if the victim so requests, the case may be further reviewed by the CPS Appeals and Review Unit (ARU). The ARU is a national CPS unit staffed with experienced specialist lawyers who conduct a fresh independent review of the evidence in every case referred to them. If an ARU lawyer decides that the original decision was wrong, and a prosecution is required to maintain confidence in the Criminal Justice System, that original decision will be overturned and proceedings reinstituted.
2. The data in the table includes all Victims’ Right to Review requests received during the reported time period which have been resolved. This includes some requests which were resolved in a later time period.
3. A Victims’ Right to Review request may proceed directly to a full review by the ARU if certain conditions are met. These include where the original decision was to offer no evidence or if the statutory time limit has expired.
4. If a decision is found to be wrong, it may not be possible to reinstate a proceeding or authorise a charge. Examples include decisions to offer no evidence at court or cases which become statute barred.  This is because these decisions are final, and proceedings cannot be reinstituted; redress in these circumstances are limited to an explanation and apology.