'Rape victims speak out ahead of legal challenge to CPS policy' https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jan/26/victims-speak-out-ahead-of-legal-challenge-to-cps-policy-rape?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Tweet

It's striking that this legal action seems to completely ignore the collapse in rape case referrals to the CPS by police forces. https://twitter.com/gmhales/status/1352628777512275972?s=19

Of course the CJS is a system comprised of inter-dependent parts, each with their own pressures. What has happened to the quality of police investigations? How does that relate to CPS decision making? How in turn does that feed back to police investigations and decisions?

What about the impacts on investigative timescales of the changes to #prechargebail and the accompanying introduction of RUI? Or (related to the extended bail durations that led to the reforms) delays relating to the forensic examination of electronic devices?

How have CPS personnel responded to their changing workloads? What are their pressure valves (returning cases to the police?), and how might they impact on police decision making?

I may be wrong, but to try and apportion responsibility to only one part of that system - as in the legal action reported above - seems problematic.

@HWistrich