HMCPSI issues disclosure of unused material in the Crown Court follow-up report

Article summary

HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) has published a follow-up report regarding the disclosure of unused material in the Crown Court. This report follows a report on the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in January 2020, which examined the CPS’s disclosure performance over an 18-month period and highlighted that, despite there being signs of progress, there was also much room for improvement. The HMCPSI decided to conduct another inspection to examine more recent cases, and the follow-up report covers context and methodology, including the disclosure regime, file sample composition and types of unused material; working with partners, including the services received by the CPS and challenging others; and the service the CPS provides, including service to the police, the defence and the court, victims, witnesses and the public, and also considers direction of travel.