NCJ Number
157457
Date Published
1994
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This background paper for the Workshop on Environmental Protection at the National and International Levels: Potentials and Limits of Criminal Justice (Cairo, Egypt, April 29 - May 8, 1995) introduces this topic from a comparative and international perspective by presenting the results of an empirical study of how the pertinent issues have been addressed in 11 developing and developed countries.
Abstract
The analysis involved case studies of criminal justice responses to transboundary pollution; the environmental damage caused by the operation of large-scale enterprises that involve inadequate risk management; and polluting behaviors that result from daily activities of small-scale enterprises, businesses, or individuals. A wide range of proposals for projects designed to enhance international cooperation in the fields of technical assistance, research, training, advisory services, and education are also provided. The report concludes that criminal law has an indispensable role to play in environmental protection, especially in cases that involve the deliberate dumping of toxic waste for profit; however, the criminal law is only one of a number of means of achieving environmental goals. Public awareness and activity by nongovernmental organizations are important in placing the environment on the political agenda and keeping it there. Such groups can also be influential in obtaining criminal justice or other interventions (political, administrative, or civil) to protect the environment. The report concludes with suggestions and proposals for international cooperation the workshop may wish to consider. 31 notes