An Investigation of Trends in Environmental Crime Enforcement

• In Event: Perspectives on Environmental Enforcement

Abstract

Environmental crime is an under-reported, under-recorded, under-enforced, and under-studied phenomenon. As such, understanding how these violations contribute to the broader problem of violent white collar crime remains unclear. Using criminal enforcement case summary information compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for fiscal years 1983 through 2013, we examine various trends related to the breadth, depth, and prosecution of environmental crimes and their outcomes throughout this 30 year period. Of specific interest is whether substantive differences exist across years, states, and regions of the country, size and type of organization, and the like, and whether federal responses to environmental crimes, such as charging and sentencing, tend to vary with these factors.

Authors

• Cynthia Koller, Shippensburg University

• Billy Henson, Shippensburg University

• Brad Reyns, Weber State University

• Samuel Benson, Shippensburg University