HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate report into CPS case management system published.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has made considerable investments in the quality of data and integrity of information on the case management system (CMS) a recent inspection by HMCPSI found.

CMS records information about magistrates and Crown Court cases. Maintaining high quality data is critical to the smooth running of the criminal justice system and improving public service, and it must be seen to deliver robust compliance monitoring and assurance, good governance and accountability.

This was the first inspection of the system for recording finalisations, the process of tracking case details such as the Principal Offence Category, the outcome of the case and whether or not it was successful. Inspectors found that while the workloads of staff include a higher percentage of complex cases than they did in 2010, they are making improvements on error rates. Inspectors also found that work has been done to update guidance, train lawyers and administrators and improve knowledge, ownership and accuracy of the finalisation data.

A tool to correctly record the Principal Offence Category (POC) has also been developed which has helped consistency and produced more accurate results. The CPS is planning to embed this tool into CMS, which has the potential to reduce error rates considerably and streamline the inputting process undertaken by administrators. There has also been investment in training for administrators and prosecutors, and a new training package will be rolled out to ensure greater consistency and help develop skill levels.

There is, however, scope for more efficiency and accuracy. Some of the issues which inspectors noted for improvement were:
• a variety of hearing record sheet templates were used, not all of which captured the necessary information to update the case fully. A standard template would ensure that all cases could be updated efficiently and accurately
• the CPS should review its use of current data quality assurance checks alongside Compliance and Assurance Team results to determine if more use can be made of them to drive performance
• current guidance needs to be easily identifiable and accessible to staff.

Chief Inspector Kevin McGinty said:

“It is essential that the CPS maintains high quality data, so that it can engage effectively and accurately with victims and witnesses. There have been considerable improvements in CMS management, training and technology over the last ten years. These have gone some way to ensuring that CMS delivers an accurate and timely record, and inspires confidence among the prosecutors and administrators who use it.

“While much has been achieved, there are still a small number of issues that need to be addressed to maintain the integrity and efficiency of the system.”

450 files were reviewed in October 2016 which included both successful and unsuccessful outcomes. CMS reports and guidance were also looked at, a survey of managers and staff was carried out, and a broad cross-section of staff were interviewed as part of the inspection.