Protecting Victims of Environmental Crime

Our analysis has moved toward developing a better understanding of environmental crime victims in the United States, through an analysis of environmental crime prosecutions. Examining almost four decades of EPA criminal investigations that lead to prosecution has allowed us to generate significant insights into who is most likely to be victimized, by whom, where, the categories of victimization, and the punishment and restitution patterns meted out to offenders at sentencing. In this chapter, we return to some of our key takeaways from the analysis, followed by a discussion of trends in prosecution over time and the possibilities of criminal deterrence, and then discuss obstacles to enhanced criminal enforcement efforts and practical possibilities for deterring offenders and better protecting victims in the legal system in the United States.