We have made a number of changes to the Criminal Bills Assessment Manual (CBAM) and Supervisor Guidance for the 2025 Crime Contract.
Updates to the Criminal Bills Assessment Manual and Supervisor Guidance take effect on 31 July 2026 for the Crime Contract.
Changes to CBAM
We have made bespoke changes to prison law funding. These changes follow discussions with the Association of Prison Lawyers (APL). The Prison Law chapter now offers greater clarity and practical guidance for providers and Legal Aid Agency (LAA) caseworkers. This includes guidance on the Parole Board process and other core prison law issues.
We have also reduced the administrative burden on providers. These amendments apply across all criminal legal aid categories. They relate to remuneration for administrative activities, including completing forms and other interactions with the LAA. The changes align criminal legal aid guidance more closely with existing civil legal aid arrangements, promoting consistency across both areas.
We have amended the general principles in CBAM relating to the assessment of costs for telephone calls and letters. This will have a wider impact across criminal legal aid cases. As with other amendments, we have drawn on wording used in civil guidance to help ensure a consistent approach.
Changes to Supervisor Guidance
Our supervision guidance includes paragraphs from the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) guidance on effective supervision. We have updated this in line with the changes the SRA made on 12 June 2026, following the Court of Appeal decision in CILEX and others v Mazur and others.
Why we are making these changes
We are making these changes following discussions with representative bodies on operational improvements that would benefit providers, particularly in relation to prison law. These amendments take effect on 31 July 2026.
Further information
Criminal Bills Assessment Manual
Supervisor Requirements and Guidance on Effective Supervision