Alison Saunders, the Director of Public Prosecutions, said: "Hate crime has a corrosive effect on our society and that is why it is a priority area for the CPS.
"It can affect entire communities, forcing people to change their way of life and live in fear.
"These documents take account of the current breadth and context of offending to provide prosecutors with the best possible chance of achieving justice for victims.
"They also let victims and witnesses know what they should expect from us."
The authorities' response to hate crime has come under close scrutiny in the last year amid jumps in the number of incidents.
There was a surge in reports following the EU referendum in June 2016, while figures released earlier this month show forces registered a spike around the terrorist attacks that hit the UK earlier this year.
In 2015/16 the CPS completed a record 15,442 hate crime prosecutions.
The conviction rate across all strands of hate crime increased from 82.9% in 2014/15 to 83.2% in 2015/16.
Writing in the Guardian, Ms Saunders said there were "huge questions" over how to counter the airing of extremist views but "no straightforward answers".
She said: "For many people in the UK, the scenes in Charlottesville last weekend may appear to be of scant relevance to their own lives. Even Thursday's horrific events in Barcelona may feel somewhat distant.
"But we should remember that there is a less visible frontline which is easily accessible to those in the UK who hold extreme views on race, religion, sexuality, gender and even disability.
"I refer to the online world where an increasing proportion of hate crime is now perpetrated.
"And this is why the Crown Prosecution Service today commits to treat online hate crimes as seriously as those committed face to face."
