Criminal Division Research Articles

Design And Development of Sketch Based Image Retrieval Using Deep Learning

In this cutting edge, the common wrong doing rate is expanding day-by-day and to manage up with this the criminal divisions as well ought to discover ways in which would speed up the by and large preparation and offer assistance in bringing one to justice. In response to rising crime rates, law enforcement agencies are turning to advanced algorithms capable of matching freehand sketches with images in databases. These algorithms, utilizing sophisticated feature extraction techniques and deep learning models, significantly enhance identification accuracy. By leveraging Sketch based image retrieval technology, investigations are expedited, leading to quicker suspect apprehensions and resolution of criminal cases. This results in improved public safety and justice outcomes, as well as more efficient law enforcement practices overall.

ACTIVITIES OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UZBEK SSR IN CRIMINAL CASES

In this article, based on the information of primary archive documents, the author commented on the activities of the Supreme Court in the field of criminal cases in the Uzbek SSR. The duties and powers of the Criminal Division of the Supreme Court of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic have been scientifically researched.

Order of the Court of Appeal in Szczecin, II Criminal Division, of 18 April 2023 (II AKz 213/23)

Order of the Court of Appeal in Szczecin, II Criminal Division, of 18 April 2023 (II AKz 213/23)

The Need for a Criminal Division of the High Court?

Abstract It seems to be assumed by some that ‘crime is easy’. Not the commission of it, nor the securing of ill-gotten gains from it, but the study, practice, and judging of it. In this paper, I challenge what might be a significant consequence of such an assumption—the systemic impacts on the appointment and deployment of High Court judges and the structure of the High Court. I argue that criminal judging at both first instance and on appeal is distinctive and demands a cadre of expert judges. I explore two core criminal roles performed by High Court Judges—one as a first-instance trial judge trying the most serious offence of murder, and the other sitting in an appellate capacity reviewing applications for leave to appeal from the Crown Court. This leads me to conclude that the current system of recruitment to the King’s Bench Division (KBD) of the High Court fails to guarantee that all KBD judges who sit in crime have the ideal level of expertise in criminal judging to equip them for that role. In turn, this prompts consideration of a range of solutions including, most radically, a proposal for the creation of a Criminal Division of the High Court, and the benefits that might offer.

독일의 형사 공판 기록의 디지털화 추진의 의미와 시사

Germany is implementing a plan to digitally video or audio record what happens in the trial court of criminal proceedings. Many German judges also have animosity or concerns about video recording of trial proceedings. However, a bill aimed mandatory recording and discretionary video recording was submitted with the goal of mandating digital video recording or recording and automatic creation of transcript records in all courts by 2030. Even in Germany, various arguments for and against this bill were presented. As Mosbacher, a judge in the criminal division of the German Federal Supreme Court, said, it is no longer a matter of wether but how, and the details have become subject to compromise.
 In this article, we looked at the contents of the related German bill, the pros and cons, especially the judges' positions and counterarguments of scholars and criminal lawyers, and looked for the implications this can have on our situation.
 Ignoring the basis of the legitimacy of the existence of criminal trials and advancing modern technology may ultimately lead to the collapse of criminal justice per se.
 The way to become a court trusted by the public, to be evaluated as a criminal judgment acceptable to the parties, and to drastically reduce the overflow of appeal cases depends, above all, on how faithfully and transparently the first trial procedures and rulings that deal with the facts are made.
 Rather than clinging to the old-fashioned slogan that video trials cannot be permitted, it is important to know where, what, and how to change in our criminal trial in order to become a functioning criminal justice system that can meet the unique challenges of criminal trials as much as possible while efficiently using the limited national budget. We have to think about it.

Uśmiech sędziowski – pomocne i niebezpieczne narzędzie

Article aims to invigorate the study of judicial smiles in Polish legal science. Judicial smiles are treated as an element of psycho-social processes in the courtroom, in particular the judge’s non-verbal communication. Such an opening will be made by identifying and discussing a few real cases of judges’ smiles in Poland, and more precisely in the courtrooms of Krakow’s lower courts (civil and criminal divisions). The empirical material was obtained through passive observation of the hearings, supported by a standardized observational questionnaire. According to the results, (i) there are more smiles of judges in courtrooms than one might think, (ii) a judge’s smiles during questioning the witnesses (as a rule) is generally less controversial than that smiles expressed in relation to parties or participants, (iii) five types of judicial smiles were distinguished, (iv) two of them seem to violate important procedural rules, while the role of others is positive, (v) it is possible to reflect on the development of the judges’ ability to use a smile in a situational manner, of course in a narrow scope and under many conditions.

Alcohol consumption epidemic and its complications during the COVID-19 pandemic in Khuzestan Province, Iran; 2020.

After unprecedented demand for ethanol in the pandemic, profiteers used methanol for making illegal alcoholic drink. Final judgements passed by criminal divisions of common courts of law in cases where death or grievous bodily harm was caused by injuries to the facial and cerebral parts of the skull resulting solely from punches to the facial area of the skull. Assessment of individual cases within each group to determine similarities and differences. Comparative analysis of both groups. This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study investigated the effects of methanol poisoning on 400 patients who referred to hospitals affiliated with Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences from March 20 to September 20, 2020. Ninety-eight-point five percent of patients had consumed alcohol for social reasons and only 0.3% had used it as a measure to avoid COVID-19. Eighty-seven percent of the patients used homemade alcohol bought from peddlers. The most common clinical symptom was gastrointestinal disorders (64.8%) and the most common complications were vision problems (12.3%). Ten-point-six percent (42 patients) of the patients died. The most important factors affecting mortality risk were dyspnea, neuropathic problems, abnormal radiological findings, dialysis, abnormal blood pressure, vision problems and dizziness. Informing the public about the risks of using homemade alcoholic beverages is essential if the associated disability and mortality has to be avoided.

Neither Carrots nor Sticks: DOJ's Unfulfilled Commitment to Corporate Health Care Compliance

The Department of Justice (“DOJ”) has for decades sought to encourage four compliant behaviors in corporate actors: maintenance of an effective pre-existing compliance program, post-enforcement adoption of an effective compliance program, cooperation with a government investigation, and self-disclosure of misconduct. While DOJ’s public statements reflect a claimed commitment to all four, analysis of DOJ policy and resolved cases makes clear that as DOJ has increasingly prioritized and incentivized the latter three behaviors, the first—maintenance of an effective pre-existing compliance program, the only one aimed towards stopping fraud before it occurs—has been cast aside in one of DOJ’s highest-profile enforcement areas.In criminal prosecutions, both DOJ policy and the United States Sentencing Guidelines (“USSG”) consider pre-existing compliance programs in determining whether a business entity should be prosecuted and the amount of a fine if a prosecution does occur. DOJ’s Criminal Division has hired compliance experts and enthusiastically publicized internal training aimed at improving prosecutors’ ability to evaluate corporate compliance programs. For the health care industry, however, the civil False Claims Act (“FCA”) is DOJ’s primary enforcement tool, and neither that DOJ policy nor the USSG apply. Instead, in civil cases DOJ guidance has been opaque or non-existent, offering little clarity as to how, if at all, DOJ will consider pre-existing compliance programs when resolving FCA cases. This is particularly surprising given that health care compliance has evolved over decades into a major industry not only with sophisticated and expensive corporate programs, but the subject of increasingly frequent and hands-on DOJ public statements and guidance.This article is the third in a series analyzing civil FCA resolutions, looking not only at DOJ’s stated policies but at actual outcomes through review of a data set of resolved cases against health care entities. Until now, those analyzing the extent of benefits for corporate compliance programs have focused on criminal cases, particularly those under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and primarily focused on the potential for a compliance defense to criminal liability. Surprisingly, the literature has to-date failed to analyze the question in the context of the FCA and thus the health care industry despite its supremacy as a DOJ enforcement target and although the FCA’s mens rea standard is more likely to sweep in cases where applying a compliance benefit would further DOJ’s enforcement goals.With health care enforcement gaining increased attention in the wake of government spending relating to COVID-19, and additional visibility into DOJ settlement policy now possible due to a change in the tax code, DOJ’s current failure to reward pre-existing compliance programs in FCA resolutions puts DOJ’s enforcement goals at risk, potentially demotivating corporate actors and adding to skepticism about DOJ’s motivations and the legitimacy of the enforcement regime, as it prevents DOJ from separating the most culpable corporate actors from those less worthy of condemnation. It is also a missed opportunity, as the large quantity of health care resolutions provides the potential for industry to learn from others’ compliance successes and failures, and for DOJ to encourage advancements as it claims to desire to do.

Statistical evidence and sudden infant death syndrome

tatistical evidence is one of the prima facie tools used in the courtroom in common law jurisdictions. This paper is a case study aimed at describing the role of expert statistical evidence and how it influenced the outcome of the Sally Clark case.Sally Clark, a solicitor by profession, who was wrongly convicted and imprisoned by the Chester Crown Court in England in 1999 for the alleged murder of her two children. The prosecution’s expert witness Professor Sir Roy Meadow, a consultant paediatrician, claimed in his statistical evidence that “the probability of two sudden infant death syndrome cases (SIDS) in one family matching the profile of the appellant was 1 in 73 million.”Though upon appeal the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) quashed the appellant’s conviction in 2003, it brought to the fore the application of statistics in the courtroom and its overall impact on the justice system. It is revealed that statistical evidence should not be used to establish the truth of an ultimate issue with scientific certainty. Expert witnesses should not adduce evidence recklessly. The use of any far-reaching statistics as evidence requires the services of experts with competence in medical statistics. The criminal justice system has a huge task of exposing true child abusers. But the socio-economic cost of wrongful conviction of accused parents of SIDS cases is immense. Tragically, Sally Clark never came to terms with her wrongful conviction and in 2007 drank herself to death.

Профессиональная преступность в Курской губернии во второй половине XIX – начале XX в. По материалам Государственного архива Курской области

The study of regional aspects of crime in the pre-revolutionary period allows us to form a holistic view on the development of such socially dangerous criminal phenomenon as professional crime in Russia. Recent changes in Russian criminal law (2019–20), that are to protect the society from professional crime, have made studying the issue more significant. There is a gap in scientific knowledge of regional aspects of professional crime of the past. The scholarship either addresses the issue on the large scale (that of Russia as a whole), or focuses on big cities (Moscow, St. Petersburg). The article presents an analysis of the formation and development of professional crime based on the materials from the State Archive of the Kursk Region (fond 32 of the Kursk district court), reflecting the development of ordinary crime in the Kursk gubernia in the second half of the 19th – early 20th century. The choice of territorial framework is due to the fact that the Kursk gubernia was a typical region of the European part of Russia in the specified time period. There is little research on the topic, and most archival materials have been studied and introduced into scientific use for the first time. A whole complex of criminal cases considered by the Kursk district court (criminal division) in the second half of the 19th – early 20th century has been identified and analyzed. Methodological basis of the research is analysis and generalization of special literature and scientific publications; study of archival materials using historical-comparative, historical-genetic, and historical- systematic methods. It has been concluded that professional crime in the Kursk gubernia in the second half of the 19th – early 20th century was focused on agriculture, since the region's economy had a pronounced agricultural specificity. The most popular criminal craft was horse theft; it was pursued in organized groups, where all roles were distributed among the gang robbers. Often they were assisted by horsedealers who were their only channel for selling stolen horses. There also were cases of counterfeiting, theft of hand luggage and clothing, and group theft in form of robbery (pickpocketing and brigandage were less common). Pickpockets had in their stock in trade for committing theft. They had special knowledge and practice-oriented skills for stealing money and other values from hand luggage or clothing of their victims and for avoiding criminal prosecution. The authors’ conclusions broaden our knowledge on the issue and are of interest to historians, lawyers, and sociologists.

Przegląd orzecznictwa Sądu Najwyższego

Overview of the decisions of the Polish Supreme Court The resolution of the Supreme Court of February 16, 2021 (case no. III CZP 11/20)is of utmost importance for legal practice, in which it was stipulates that a party who repaid a loan in performance of an invalid loan agreement is entitled to a claim for the repayment of the repaid funds as undue benefit (Article 410 § 1 in connection with Article 405 of the Polish Civil Code) regardless of whether and to what extent it is a debtor of a bank for repayment of the wrongfully received loan amount. The resolution of seven judges of the Polish Supreme Court passed on September 2, 2019 (court case file no. III CZP 99/18) has a certain significance to performing legal practice and activities. The resolution of seven judges of the Polish Supreme Court passed on December 9, 2020 (court case file no. III PZP 2/20) has a certain significance to performing legal practice and activities. According to the resolution of the Polish Supreme Court, a case related to the professional liability of sworn translators is to be examined by the criminal division of a court of appeal having jurisdiction over the place of residence of the sworn translator, pursuant to the provisions of the Act of June 6, 1997 – Polish Code of Criminal Procedure. It is also worth noting that the resolution of the Polish Supreme Court passed on March 9, 2021 (court case file no. III CZP 89/19) provides that in proceedings conducted under the Act of November 22, 2013 on proceedings against persons with mental disorders who present a threat to life, health or sexual freedom of other persons, the provisions of Article 2(3) of that Act (in connection with Article 730 § 1 and Article 755 § 1 of the Polish Code of Civil Procedure) do not provide a legal basis for granting an interim order to place the person concerned in the National Centre for the Prevention of Dissocial Behaviour.

Difficulties involved in the formulation of forensic opinions in cases of severe injuries to the facial and cerebral parts of the skull due to punching.

Comparison of injuries to the facial and cerebral parts of the skull causing death and grievous bodily harm, resulting solely from punches to the facial area of the skull. Assessment and confrontation of both groups in terms of the final criminal-legal classification of the perpetrator's acts. Review of reasons for court judgements with a focus on the subjective elements of the prohibited act. Attempt to verify the hypothesis assuming that death or grievous bodily harm can be caused by a single punch to the facial part of the skull. Final judgements passed by criminal divisions of common courts of law in cases where death or grievous bodily harm was caused by injuries to the facial and cerebral parts of the skull resulting solely from punches to the facial area of the skull. Assessment of individual cases within each group to determine similarities and differences. Comparative analysis of both groups. The cause of death in cases involving injuries to the facial part of the skull was rapid suffocation following blood aspiration into the respiratory tract. However, the criminal-legal classification of the perpetrators' actions in these cases was varied. In one case, death resulted from injuries to the cerebral part of the skull, which are extremely rare as a result of a punch to the facial area within the skull. Grievous bodily harm was due to the loss of vision in the eye, typically due to eyeball rupture. Even though the circumstances of the injuries were similar, different mechanisms were responsible for causing death and grievous bodily harm in the victims. The most severe consequences (death and grievous bodily harm) were not caused by injuries of the same type in any of the cases studied. A single punch to the facial part of the skull may be enough to lead to either grievous bodily harm or death, but the criminal-legal assessment of punching to the face can vary greatly.

Specific Features of Interaction between Criminal Police Divisions and Other Subjects within Counteracting Criminal Offenses against Morality

The author has defined the peculiarities of the interaction of criminal police units with other entities in counteracting criminal offenses against morality, which should help to solve the problem of scientific provision of the activities of law enforcement agencies in this area. Taking into account the set purpose, the specifics of the object and the subject matter of the research, the author has chosen the methodological tools. During the research the author has used the system of methods of scientific cognition: formal logic (abstraction, analogy, deduction, induction, synthesis) for the detailed clarification of the content of the considered issues; empirical – during the experimental study; method of system analysis – to determine the directions of introduction of innovative approaches to solve the problem; theoretical – during the study of scientific and educational literature; modeling – in the study of certain objects by modeling their individual features.
 Based on the analysis of the current practice of law enforcement agencies in combating criminal offenses against morality, the author has defined the current features of the interaction of criminal police units with other entities in this area. Besides, the author has formulated own concept of the interaction of criminal police units with other entities in combating criminal offenses against morality; has provided general characteristics of such entities; and has highlighted some recommendations on the use of their capabilities by operative units of the National Police during the detection, documentation and investigation of these criminal offenses.
 It has been established that criminal police units interact with other entities as part of the National Police. In fact the capabilities of Interpol and Europol are used. Besides, cooperation with other international and non-governmental organizations is envisaged. Certain features of the interaction of criminal police units with other entities in combating criminal offenses against morality can be used by law enforcement officers, as well as scholars in conducting further research in this area.

SUD facilities billed $845 million fraudulently, says DOJ

More than 100 doctors, nurses and other licensed medical professionals were charged last month by the federal Department of Justice (DOJ) for submitting more than $6 billion in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance companies. This included more than $845 million connected to “sober homes.” The enforcement action, announced Sept. 30, involved 345 defendants across 51 federal districts, and was led by the DOJ's Criminal Division. Prosecution will be by U.S. attorneys and the DOJ's Criminal Division's Fraud Section. The cases are connected to telemedicine, which has taken off since the COVID‐19 pandemic. “Telemedicine can foster efficient, high‐quality care when practiced appropriately and lawfully,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt. “Unfortunately, bad actors attempt to abuse telemedicine services and leverage aggressive marketing techniques to mislead beneficiaries about their health care needs and bill the government for illegitimate services,” said Department of Health and Human Services Deputy Inspector General Gary Cantrell. “Unfortunately, audacious schemes such as these are prevalent and often harmful. Therefore, collaboration is critical in our fight against health care fraud.” Rabbitt said the enforcement action will “send a clear deterrent message and should leave no doubt about the department's ongoing commitment to ensuring the safety of patients and the integrity of health care benefit programs, even amid a national health emergency.”

Analysis of mental models at criminal investigation division of the Indonesian National Police

Mental models can function positively in organizations if they are managed well. The management of mental models is carried out from the surfacing step, to testing, to improving the internal picture of how the world works. This type of research is descriptive qualitative research. To obtain data used in-depth interview research techniques, observation, and documentation. While the data analysis mechanism is done by data reduction and data presentation. Based on the results of research that Bareskrim is able to live and adapt between various forces and interests because of mental models. priorities supported by understanding in seeing reality (personal mastery practice) can precisely determine positions and actions that are favorable for the existence of the organization. Harmonization of the relationship between senior-junior mental models and hierarchies will strengthen individual relationships because when harmonization occurs, conflicts can be avoided and group stability occurs due to compliance with the institutions that are mutually understood (common institutions) governing senior-junior and senior relations. hierarchy either in the form of ethics or norms, written or unwritten

Revisiting conduct risk management in the COVID-19 era with updated DOJ criteria

Conduct risk refers to behaviours of firms, including financial institutions, which may result in poor outcomes for the consumer. Conduct risk arises in financial institutions due to the nature of various client relationships, many of which include fiduciary duties, as well as due to the impact that financial institutions make on the world’s financial markets. Financial institutions have always managed conduct risk. In the years since the financial crisis, conduct risk has been the subject of increasing scrutiny, as regulators across jurisdictions expanded requirements to address various types of misconduct. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) associated health and economic crisis has created new pressures, incentives and opportunities that can lead to heightened conduct risk exposure as institutions adapt to an ever-increasing volatile market and changes to their operations and control environment (eg professionals now must work from home). As individuals attempt to exploit the pandemic, both the institutions and customers are at greater risk. Regulators, aware of the changes brought about by COVID-19, continue to expect firms to take responsibility, and identify and manage their risks and regulatory obligations. COVID-19-heightened conduct risk exposes financial institutions to large fines and penalties, regulator imposed business restrictions and brand dilution. Senior management face potential regulatory disciplinary action and loss of professional reputation. On 1st June, 2020, the Criminal Division of the US Department of Justice (DOJ) published updates to its guidance on the Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programmes. This guidance helps institutions to assess the effectiveness of their compliance programme through the consideration of various factors, including, but not limited to, the company’s size, industry, geographic footprint, regulatory landscape, and other factors, both internal and external to the company’s operations, that might impact its compliance programme. This paper suggests practical steps to identify and mitigate increased conduct risk arising from COVID-19. Financial institutions subject to US jurisdiction can apply these same steps to meet the June 2020 updated US DOJ criteria of corporate compliance programmes and enable firms to assess the effectiveness of its compliance programme in identifying and managing risks arising from COVID-19. Companies that meet the DOJ criteria earn substantially reduced penalties and stand a good chance of avoiding criminal charges and a government-imposed monitor. The first step is to transfigure (mis)perceptions that Conduct Risk Management is bad for business and convert detractors into supporters by demonstrating a positive ‘return on investment’. It is essential to include stakeholders across first line of defense business units and second line of defense control functions. Firms should fully document efforts to address conduct risk and ensure a culture of compliance and integrity so that the organisation gets full credit for its work to prevent and detect misconduct, should a regulatory inquiry arise. With this firm foundation, financial institutions should update the conduct risk assessment as an ineffective risk assessment is the common root cause for corporate scandals. Once they identify new and emerging inherent risks, financial firms should test the efficacy of responsive policies, processes and controls to determine residual risks that create a reasonable likelihood of significant legal, reputational or financial impacts arising from misconduct strengthening or expanding forensic data science and analytics can be particularly helpful in limiting opportunities for would-be wrongdoers. With this effective framework in place, financial institutions can mitigate often overlooked or underestimated conduct risks either amid a crisis or under business-as-usual conditions.

Gendered Justice in China: Victim-Offender Mediation as the "Different Voice" of Female Judges.

Attempts to uncover the “different voice” of female judges through testing the statistical significance of judges’ gender in decision making have offered inconsistent results. Meanwhile, a proliferation of research suggests that such “voice” might be detected through qualitative analysis. Existing findings indicate that when female judges have discretionary power regarding case management, they will typically foster a process of settlement. Based on this information, I conducted eight months of fieldwork in China and observed 68 victim–offender mediations in four district courts. I found that the criminal division is widely perceived as a masculine setting, and female judges are accustomed to employing mediation as a preferred dispute resolution method to facilitate reconciliation between the two parties and seek civil compensation for victims. Such judicial behavior is a result of propaganda from the Supreme People’s Court and a reflection of female judges’ life and work experience. By contrast, a neglect of mediation among male judges can be identified in the same workplace. The belief that mediation is feminine and time-consuming contributes to this neglect. In addition, rape lawsuits are an exception for mediation. This explorative research not only represents one of the first efforts to reveal a “different voice” in the Chinese criminal justice system but points out a direction of research for studying the judicial behaviors of female judges worldwide.

Die Strafkammer aus der Perspektive von Michel Foucault

The French philosopher Michel Foucault, who is regarded as the founder of the discourse analysis of power and knowledge theory, also dealt with "heterotopias". He understood this to mean counter-places in which the everyday real places are simultaneously represented, questioned and reversed. Understanding the proceedings of the German criminal courts as a heterotopia opens up new perspectives and illustrates the difficulties that arise when the irrational "real space" of interpersonal relationships and human behavior must be mirrored with legal rationality for the (re)construction of a "truth". The criminal division's mandate to determine the truth, which can be interpreted as a "will to knowledge" in the Foucault sense, especially when considering whether the accused should be placed in a psychiatric hospital or in preventive detention, often leads to the individual concerned resisting such objectification. This is because it divides him into - scientific - categories and demands that he must accept a truth about himself that is the truth of others. This is probably one reason why the accused refuses to cooperate in the "correction" primarily intended by the state. However, this dilemma is neither a reason to return from preventive theories of punishment in favour of absolute theories of punishment, nor to dispense with the will to knowledge in a consensual settlement of proceedings.

The Safety of Convictions in the Court of Appeal: Fresh Evidence in the Criminal Division Through an Empirical Lens

An academic consensus exists that the England and Wales Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) determines appeals against conviction in a narrow or an unduly restrictive manner. This consensus has developed through observation and empirical study of the Court over several decades. It is said in particular that the Court adopts a narrow approach when considering appeals which raise primarily factual issues, especially fresh evidence or ‘lurking doubt’ appeals. This article discusses two new empirical studies of the Court, one of which is a replication of Roberts’s recent study which featured in the Journal of Criminal Law in 2017. The empirical evidence in support of the allegation of a restrictive approach is explored in this article from a theoretical and methodological perspective. It is argued that the question of the Court’s approach is difficult to study empirically, and so suggestions of empirical support for a restrictive approach overreach the limits of the methods employed. This is not to suggest that the Court of Appeal does not make mistakes, nor even is it to suggest that the Court is not narrow or unduly restrictive. Rather, it is suggested that the empirical findings offered as evidence of the restrictive approach, which gives rise to the consensus position, are weak and should be treated with caution, especially in the light of the author’s two new empirical studies of the Court.

Power to the Paperwork? Mandatory Financial Sanctions and the Bureaucratic Means to Racially Unequal Ends

Few studies that disentangle the relationship between race, crime, and punishment have turned to administrative documents as a central site of power. Speaking to this omission, I use a case study of mandatory financial sanctions in the Criminal Division of the Cook County Circuit Court in the State of Illinois. The analysis draws upon a sample of 89 sanctions imposed upon conviction, at the state and county levels, to identify three bureaucratic aspects that sustain racial inequality. One, these sanctions are represented in ways that abstract the conviction process from its highly racialized context. Two, these sanctions enable legal actors to enact a multilevel mode of decision making, combining compulsory and discretionary judgment, that entrenches racial bias within the broader legal organization of punishment. And three, these sanctions redistribute the operational costs of justice through earmarks onto those who are processed through the system (i.e., disproportionately people of color). Altogether, these bureaucratic aspects paradoxically intensify racial stratification in ways that are seemingly nonracial.