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Death Matters: Victimization by Particle Matter from Coal Fired Power Plants in the US, a Green Criminological View

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Abstract

The present study examines deaths and diseases associated with pollution from coal fired power plants (CFPPs) and compares the volume of those deaths and diseases to deaths and injuries associated with street crimes. This comparison illustrates that the single form of pollution studied here—CFPP small particle pollution—causes more deaths in the US than homicides and deserves additional criminological attention. We frame our examination of CFPP deaths and injuries in the corporate crime and green criminological literatures, and explore CFPP pollution as an example of corporate environmental violence. The widespread nature of CFPP violence justifies focusing greater criminological attention on this issue, including the development of policies for remedying pollution, which is now a ubiquitous problem with severe health consequences.

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Notes

  1. For more detailed information about the history of the industrial use of lead, as well as political-economic pressures to avoid regulation of lead, see: Needleman (1997, 2002), Markowitz and Rosner (2000, 2003, 2013), Moore 2003 and Rosner and Markowitz (1985, 2007).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Criminology and The Patel School of Global Sustainability, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33620-8100, USA

    Michael J. Lynch

  2. Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology Department, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, 48198, USA

    Kimberly L. Barrett

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Correspondence to Michael J. Lynch.

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Lynch, M.J., Barrett, K.L. Death Matters: Victimization by Particle Matter from Coal Fired Power Plants in the US, a Green Criminological View. Crit Crim 23, 219–234 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-015-9266-7

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