A joint thematic inspection of the police and Crown Prosecution Service’s response to rape

Date of publication: 25 February 2022

Participating inspectorates: HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate; HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services
Inspection category: CJJI thematic report
Themes: Criminal Justice Joint Inspection; Victim and Witness Experience

This is the second and final part of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate’s joint inspection of the investigation and prosecution of rape in England and Wales.

The first part (Phase 1) examined cases from the point when they were reported to the police through to the decision (either by the police or the CPS) to take no further action.

This part (Phase 2) examines cases from the point of charge through to their conclusion, and includes those which were decided in court (although we do not make judgements on the decisions of the judges and juries). The combined findings from parts one and two of this inspection provide a comprehensive assessment of the criminal justice system’s current approach to rape, and an account of victims’ experiences of the system.

We commissioned a research report, to hear about victims’ experiences directly. And we asked police and the CPS, Government departments and victim representative groups for their own qualitative and quantitative data on what it’s like to report a rape in England and Wales today.

This report sets out our findings.