Environmental Sentencing in the United States Pacific Northwest 2007-2011

A Story of Disparity

Bibliographic Data

ID2363391
AuthorsJoseph Kremer (Luther College, Decorah, IA, USA, corresponding author)
Year2016
Volume59
Issue3
Pages528-542
Publication date2016-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociological Perspectives (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0731-1214 • E-ISSN: 1533-8673
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0731121416629990
OpenAlexW2286831444
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited29

A significant body of research suggests that environmental risks are more likely to be found in minority and low-income communities. Few studies have questioned whether communities of lower socioeconomic status may be less protected by regulatory agencies through the use of fines in instances of noncompliance. Using the Environmental Inequality Formation perspective (EIF) and data drawn from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) administrative enforcement cases within the U.S. Pacific Northwest from 2007 to 2011, this project finds that the factors primarily influencing fine severity include the type and severity of the offense. However, after controlling for other factors, fines are less severe against facilities surrounded by low-income households. This research confirms the need for scholars, policy makers, and activists to develop greater linkages between the EIF perspective and environmental sentencing by more clearly teasing out the roles that facilities, enforcement agencies, and especially communities play in these outcomes

Economic growth · Economics · Enforcement · Environmental crime · Environmental justice · Political science · Socioeconomic status · Sociology · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Demography · Environmental Justice and Health Disparities · Law · Wildlife Conservation and Criminology Analyses

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