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The CPS has welcomed the recent Criminal Justice Joint Inspection (CJJI) report on
how well the criminal justice system serves survivors of rape and has largely accepted
all the recommendations within it that relate directly to their work. They will use
the report’s findings and recommendations to further inform their response to rape
prosecutions and to build on the significant work undertaken so far, which has focussed
on the following three main areas of work:<ul><li>better collaboration with the police
from the very start of an investigation, taking an offender-centric approach to case-building;</li><li>supporting
prosecutors and expanding the size of specialist units so that they are properly resourced
to respond to these challenging and complex cases; and</li><li>improving the support
given to victims, and recognising the trauma they experience.</li></ul>On the timeframes
for implementing the two recommendations relating to communicating with victims, the
CPS has already commenced a vital programme of work to improve how they communicate
with victims. As part of this, the CPS has commissioned crucial research into victims’
needs to understand what victims need and want, so the CPS can serve them better.
This research is part of a fundamental review into how the CPS can improve communication
with victims. Although this three-phased programme is underway, the CPS will require
time to complete it, to ensure that it fundamentally improves the quality of communication
with victims. The CPS’s full response to the report and its recommendations can be
found <a href="https://www.cps.gov.uk/publication/cps-response-criminal-justice-joint-inspection-cjji-how-well-criminal-justice-system"
target="_blank">here</a>.
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