AC3.4 Evaluate the effectiveness of agencies in achieving social control(cps)

Question 1

What is the role of the CPS?

Answer 1

Main prosecutor in England and Wales—prepares and presents cases in court.

Question 2

How does the CPS aim to achieve social control?

Answer 2

By securing convictions in court to punish offenders and deter crime.

Question 3

How many cases did the CPS prosecute in 2018?

Answer 3

80,000 in Crown Court
450,000+ in Magistrates’ Court

Question 4

What was the CPS conviction rate in 2018?

Answer 4

84.1% of prosecuted defendants were convicted.

Question 5

How did COVID-19 affect CPS prosecutions?

Answer 5

Only 54,515 prosecutions completed in 2020/21
Conviction rate dropped to 78.1%

Question 6

What media criticisms has the CPS faced?

Answer 6

• Poor handling of rape cases
• Dropping weak cases to protect conviction rates
• Risk of denying justice to vulnerable victims

Question 7

What is the “realistic prospect of conviction” test?

Answer 7

• Part of the Full Code Test
• CPS only continues with cases likely to succeed
• Criticised for focusing too much on outcomes, not justice

Question 8

How have budget cuts affected the CPS?

Answer 8

• Lost 1/3 of staff after 25% budget cut
• Staff overwhelmed by new tech demands (e.g. phone data)

Question 9

What are some evidence-related issues with budget cuts

Answer 9

Failures to disclose evidence caused trial collapses
• Example: Liam Allan rape case collapsed due to non-disclosure of digital evidence

Question 10

What other failures has the CPS had?

Answer 10

• Poor case-building(Damilola Taylor (2000)
• Weak checks on witnesses
• Led to collapse of some high-profile trials

Question 11

What are other common criticisms of the CPS?

Answer 11

• Too close to the police
• Bureaucratic, slow, inefficient
• Poor communication—some people found out their case was dropped through the media