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Environmental Crime, Ecological Expertise and Specialist Environment Courts

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Green Criminology and the Law

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Green Criminology ((PSGC))

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Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of issues surrounding the prosecution and sentencing of environmental crimes. It demonstrates the value of the establishment and development of specialist environment courts as institutional mechanisms for responding effectively to environmental harm. The chapter begins by discussing the perceived limitations of non-specialist courts in dealing with environmental offences. The chapter then draws upon the experiences of the New South Wales Land and Environment Court in order to reiterate the fundamentals of criminal law (such as mitigating and aggravating factors in sentencing), explore how ecocentrism is translated into judicial decision-making (particularly with respect to ascertaining the nature and quantum of environmental harm related to criminal offending), and how the legal frameworks underpinning this specialist court are fundamental to the possibility of good environmental outcomes (such as the institutional status of the court and its judges, and the penalties/sanctions available to it in sentencing offenders). Specific legislation and cases will be referenced to illustrate general observations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia

    Rob White

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  1. Rob White
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Correspondence to Rob White .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Justice Studies, University of Regina, Regina, SK, Canada

    James Gacek

  2. Faculty of Law, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

    Richard Jochelson

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White, R. (2022). Environmental Crime, Ecological Expertise and Specialist Environment Courts. In: Gacek, J., Jochelson, R. (eds) Green Criminology and the Law. Palgrave Studies in Green Criminology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82412-9_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82412-9_4

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-82411-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-82412-9

  • eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)

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