Local Prosecution of Environmental Crime (Part Two: Chapters 3-10)

• NCJ Number: 152423
• Journal: Prosecutors Perspective Dated: (Fall 1994) Pages: 1-2
• Author(s): G Garcetti
• Date Published: 1994
• Length: 2 pages
• Grant Number(s): 90-IJ-CX-0027
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Survey

Annotation

This review focuses on the last seven chapters of a report by Theodore Hammett and Joel Epstein that was published by NIJ and focuses on the local prosecution of environmental offenses.

Abstract

Local Prosecution of Environmental Crime describes the experiences of five local prosecutors in addressing environmental violations and outlines various strategies that have proven effective in jurisdictions of widely differing sizes. The report's second section consists of seven chapters that seek to encourage local involvement in the field and summarizes the information that the authors regard as necessary for prosecutors to be successful. Using both text and charts, the report provides a concise overview of the investigation and prosecution stages of environmental enforcement actions. The text emphasizes that the leadership of the local prosecutor is crucial. It also recommends specialization and vertical prosecution, the involvement of regulators at an early stage, training of attorneys in the relevant scientific and technical areas, and ongoing communication with the entire regulatory community.