The Sentencing/Punishment of Federal Environmental/Green Criminal Offenders, 2000–2013

While much has been written about the purpose of environmental sentencing, little research summarizes the actual sentencing of environmental offenders, forcing criminologists to generalize about environmental sentencing patterns. This study helps fill that gap by examining federal environmental sentences across 22 environmental statutes from 2000 through 2013. The analysis examines case distributions and mean sentences received by individuals (N = 420) and corporations (N = 161) across 337 criminal cases. Key findings: few cases go to trial; a handful of corporate cases significantly affect mean fine amounts; compared to earlier studies, fewer individual received sentences that involve incarceration, but those sentences are now longer.