Criminal law resources
A short guide to official pages for criminal defence work in England and Wales. We last checked every link on 8 October 2026.
If you have been arrested
There is a separate set of pages in plain English, for you or for a family member.
Help if you have been arrestedFor practitioners
- PACE and the Codes of Practice
The Act, the codes, and Code C on detention and questioning.
- Police station practice
Duty solicitor rotas and the current crime contract, from the Legal Aid Agency.
- CPS charging and guidance
The Crown Prosecution Service’s own pages on charging and prosecution guidance.
- Sentencing Council guidelines
Guidelines for courts in England and Wales, from the Sentencing Council.
- Legal aid
The Legal Aid Agency, the crime contracts, forms, and the public finder.
- Courts and listing
Finding a court, the judiciary, judgments, and the criminal procedure rules.
- Case law and legislation
The two public sources for statutes and judgments.
- Accreditation
The SRA’s Police Station Representative Accreditation Scheme, the Law Society’s Criminal Litigation Accreditation, and the regulator for barristers.
- Youth justice
Youth offending teams, the Youth Justice Legal Centre, and the guideline for sentencing children and young people.
- Mental health and appropriate adults
The Mental Health Act, and the organisation that works on appropriate adults.
- Immigration
The department that decides who can visit or stay.
- Wellbeing
Support for people working in the legal sector.
Organisations
Professional bodies, regulators, and charities. 14 links, each with a short note of what the page says.
OrganisationsCriminal defence solicitors by county
Offices from the Legal Aid Agency's published directory, listed by county and town.
Browse solicitors by countyGet the monthly roundup
A short email when resources or directory listings change. It is written as a draft first and is not sent until it has been reviewed. There are 7 public topics in the guide as well as the practitioner sections.