Rules

Criminal Procedure Rules determine the way a criminal case is managed as it progresses through the criminal courts in England and Wales. Made by the Criminal Procedure Rule Committee, the rules apply in all magistrates' courts, the Crown Court and the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division).

The Criminal Procedure Rules (CrimPRs) were first established in 2005 and since 2010 have been consolidated annually. The purpose of the consolidation is to ensure that access to the rules of court currently in force is easy. The consolidated rules are published in a statutory instrument and they come into force on the first Monday in October.

The Criminal Procedure Rules 2011 came into force on 3 October 2011. They have been amended in part by The Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2011. The list below sets out the Rules in Part order and provides access to the fully updated, current text of each Part as in force from 2 April 2012.

The Glossary of legal expressions used in The Criminal Procedure Rules 2011 appears at the very bottom of this page, along with an informal cross-referencing guide to help users quickly trace the related Parts that use those particular expressions.