Independent Prosecution Service: Principles and Practice (From Police: Powers, Procedures and Proprieties, P 243-250, 1986, John Benyon and Colin Bourn, eds. -- See NCJ-158031)

• NCJ Number: 158053
• Author(s): W Merricks
• Date Published: 1986
• Length: 8 pages
• Sale Source: Pergamon Press Limited
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

Principles on which England's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) are based involve fairness, openness, efficiency, accountability, and less police involvement.

Abstract

The CPS is a national rather than a local system, and the implementation of a national prosecution system has created some controversy. Accountability is sometimes difficult to achieve in a national system, and national consistency is not always easy to combine with sensitivity to local and regional conditions. The need for CPS headquarters to receive management information from local and regional areas is emphasized, as well as the importance of adequate public relations between the CPS and both the police and the public. Consideration must also be paid to balancing the divisions between police investigative functions and prosecutorial functions and to the extent of police involvement in prosecutions. Prosecution guidelines must be based on openness and accountability, and courts must have a close relationship with the CPS. Creation of the CPS generates more work for the police in some areas, but some police officers released from prosecution work can use their time and resources more effectively elsewhere. 5 notes