HS Criminal Law is an independent information portal about UK criminal law. We write guides for people in the UK who need clear, practical information about how the criminal justice system works. Everything on the site serves one purpose: helping readers understand their situation and the options in front of them.
The subjects we cover
The guides on this site answer the questions people bring when they search for information about criminal law. That means the offences most often prosecuted, the stages of the criminal process, the roles of solicitors and barristers, how police interviews and court hearings work, and what happens at each decision point. We write about procedure, defences, sentences and the rights a person has at different stages.
Each guide starts with the question a reader asks and builds the answer from there. We explain legal ideas in plain language, without jargon or assumptions about what the reader already knows.
Who the guides are for
Readers come to this site from different places. Some are facing an allegation or have been arrested. Others are supporting someone going through the system, or trying to make sense of something that has already happened. Some want to understand how a particular offence is defined in law, or what a magistrates' court can and cannot do.
The guides are written for all of those situations. We assume the reader has no legal training and may be under pressure or uncertain where to turn.
How the guides are made
A guide begins with a question people search for. We research the answer by checking public sources: legislation as published by the government, guidance from the Crown Prosecution Service and the Sentencing Council, procedural rules set out by the courts, and explainers from legal regulators such as the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board.
The answer is then written in plain British English, structured so the most important point comes first. When the law or a procedure changes, the relevant guide is updated to reflect it. No page reproduces the wording of an Act or statutory instrument: we explain what it means instead.
What we do not do
This is an information site. We give no personal legal advice, take no instructions and represent no clients. Nothing on the site should be read as advice for your specific case. If you need a solicitor, contact one directly or ask for the duty solicitor when you are at the police station or in court.
We do not sell any goods or services, and the guides are not sponsored. No law firm, barrister's chambers or any other organisation pays for placement or influences what we write.
Getting in touch
You can reach us at [email protected]. We welcome questions about the subjects the site covers, corrections where something is out of date or unclear, and suggestions for new topics. We aim to reply within forty-eight hours.
Write to us if a guide does not answer your question, if you have spotted an error, or if there is a part of criminal law you think the site should cover. We read every message, and reader suggestions shape what we write next.
This is an information site for general reference only. We do not sell any goods or services.