‘Tick box exercise' over CPS casework quality must ‘fundamentally change'
The Crown Prosecution Service must 'fundamentally change' the way it improves the quality of casework which has often been reduced to a 'tick box exercise', inspectors have warned.
An internal system that checks the work of the body responsible for prosecuting criminal cases in England and Wales remained 'unchanged' in the seven years since the last inspection, where watchdog chiefs raised concerns over its consistency.
The Individual Quality Assessment (IQA) system assesses the quality of CPS casework relating to a single prosecutor, which includes making legal decisions about who to prosecute, for what offences and how the prosecution will prove the case.
A report published on Thursday found that many legal managers made assessments that were 'too lenient', where failings may have affected the case, and that key issues were minimised or missed altogether.
This included where a manager marked a service to victims and witnesses 'positively' when the prosecutor had failed to send a victim communication letter.
The chief inspector of the HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI), the watchdog which monitors the performance of the CPS, Anthony Rogers, recognised the 'immense pressure' to get cases through the system amid the backlog and increased workloads.
But the inspection discovered a culture where legal managers were 'reluctant' to give prosecutors feedback on areas to improve for 'fear of overwhelming them'.
It comes as the Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson said in December last year that the delays in the criminal justice system are 'probably worse than I've ever known them to be', as he vowed better support for victims.
Mr Rogers said: 'We appreciate the CPS operates in extremely challenging circumstances. The case backlog continues to rise, workloads have increased, and the courts are under immense pressure to get cases through the system.
'The CPS's self-assessment system has the potential to drive standards, deliver high-quality casework and ultimately, benefit the criminal justice system.
'However, our inspections clearly show that in many instances Individual Quality Assessments have been reduced to a tick box exercise rather than a vital tool that improves the quality of casework and delivers real improvements.'
In the report, Mr Rogers said there appears to be an appetite for 'radical change' from senior leaders in the CPS, as he urged the body to consider a new approach about how it assesses its performance.
He added: 'Because only through a functioning, standardised self-assessment regime will casework quality improve – and public trust increase.'
The report concluded: 'We found that, when done well, IQAs can lead to improvement on an individual basis.
'However, the inconsistencies in application of the guidance, generally and in answering the specific questions, are profound, and as such it is hard to see how they can be effectively addressed.'
Inspectors also said it was disappointing to see their findings from 2018 'largely replicated' in the latest review, despite the CPS having re-launched its process and revised guidance to address the issue in the interim period.
In changing the system the report's suggestions included ensuring there are digital tools to help the process and to create a 'coaching approach' to supervision for the assessments.
It recommended for the CPS to have designed a new approach by July 31 2025 and implemented it by March 31 2026.
The CPS watchdog will return for a follow-up inspection in 2026-2027, it added.
Responding to the report, a CPS spokesperson said that since the last inspection several changes have been made to the assessment guidance and training has been rolled out for legal managers.
'The CPS is determined to continuously improve the quality of its casework and the ongoing professional development of its prosecutors,' the spokesperson added.
'We will closely examine the report's findings to work further to improve our systems for assessing the quality of our casework.'
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