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Why are rape prosecutions in England and Wales so low? - BBC Newsnight
Posted
November 14, 2019
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14,859
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November 14, 2019
14,859
167
133
2.02%
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15:51Now PlayingRape prosecutors in England and Wales were given a conviction rate target which was never made public.
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BBC Newsnight has had access to a Law Society Gazette investigation, which found that from 2016 prosecutors were judged against a 60% target of cases ending in conviction.
This may have caused prosecutors to drop weaker cases, campaigners say.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the target was used for "benchmarking" - and has been dropped.
The CPS decides whether cases investigated by the police go to trial.
Rape convictions in England and Wales are at their lowest level since 2008, despite record levels of allegations.
In the studio Katie Razzall is joined by former Chief Crown Prosecutor for the North West Nazir Afsal, Shadow Attorney General Baroness Chakrabarti and former Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales Baroness Newlove.
UK correspondent Elizabeth Glinka reports.
Newsnight is the BBC's flagship news and current affairs TV programme - with analysis, debate, exclusives, and robust interviews.
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