Criminal Practice 2025/26 Update for July 2026 Exam

General Updates

On 6 October 2025, the Criminal Procedure Rules (CrimPR) 2025 were published. All references to the ‘CrimPR 2020’ should now be read as ‘CrimPR 2025’.

Chapter-specific Updates

Chapter 8

The Sentencing Guidelines (Pre-sentence Reports) Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 19 June 2025. This Act prohibits sentencing guidelines about pre-sentence reports from including provision framed by reference to ‘different personal characteristics of an offender’. ‘Personal characteristics’ is defined as including, in particular: race, religion or belief, and cultural background.