Safeguarding Environmental Justice: Analyzing Corporate Criminal Liability in Illegal Hazardous Waste Disposal Cases
Keywords:
Law, Corporation, Dumping, Waste, Toxic Hazardous Materials, EnvironmentAbstract
In the backdrop of global economic development driven by modern corporations and industries, the unintended consequences of rapid industrial growth, extensive production, and resource-intensive practices have resulted in severe environmental threats. Among these, environmental pollution, particularly stemming from the improper disposal of hazardous materials, stands out as a significant concern. This research focuses on the concept of corporate criminal liability as a means of protecting communities from environmental crimes, specifically in cases involving the illegal disposal of toxic waste. Utilizing qualitative methods with a normative juridical approach, the study relies on primary, secondary, and tertiary legal materials as sources. The research findings highlight the inadequacies in addressing corporate criminal acts related to hazardous waste disposal. Challenges in investigation, prosecution, and establishing environmental impacts contribute to a deficiency in delivering complete justice. Consequently, the research suggests the consideration of the doctrine of strict liability in cases of environmental pollution, especially those involving hazardous waste dumping. The implementation of strict liability for corporations in the prosecution of environmental criminal acts, such as toxic waste dumping, eliminates the necessity to prove intent or negligence, as well as the motive behind the corporation's actions, thereby addressing inherent shortcomings in the current legal framework.
References
Aji, Adiguna Bagas Waskito, Puji Wiyatno, Ridwan Arifin, and Ubaidillah Kamal. “Social Justice on Environmental Law Enforcement in Indonesia: The Contemporary and Controversial Cases.” The Indonesian Journal of International Clinical Legal Education 2, no. 1 (2020): 57-72.
Ajibo, Kenneth I. “Transboundary hazardous wastes and environmental justice: Implications for economically developing countries.” Environmental Law Review 18, no. 4 (2016): 267-283.
Alcadipani, Rafael, and Cíntia Rodrigues de Oliveira Medeiros. “When corporations cause harm: A critical view of corporate social irresponsibility and corporate crimes.” Journal of Business Ethics 167, no. 2 (2020): 285-297.
Ali, Mahrus, and M. Arif Setiawan. “Penal proportionality in environmental legislation of Indonesia.” Cogent Social Sciences 8, no. 1 (2022): 2009167.
Ali, Mahrus, Rofi Wahanisa, Jaco Barkhuizen, and Papontee Teeraphan. “Protecting Environment through Criminal Sanction Aggravation.” Journal of Indonesian Legal Studies 7, no. 1 (2022): 191-228.
Altenburg, Tilman, and Claudia Assmann, ed. Green industrial policy: Concept, Policies, Country Expe-riences. Geneva, Bonn: UN Environment, 2017.
Andra, Novriadi, and Megawati Barthos. “The Authority of Prosecutors in Supervision of Every Investigation of Police and Civil Servant Investigators.” In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Law, Social Science, Economics, and Education, ICLSSEE 2021, March 6th, 2021, Jakarta, Indonesia. 2021.
Arsyiprameswari, Natasya, Muhamad Adji Rahardian Utama, Seno Adhi Wibowo, and Vania Shafira Yuniar. “Environmental Law and Mining Law in the Framework of State Administration Law.” Unnes Law Journal 7, no. 2 (2021): 347-370.
Boyle, John. “Cultural influences on implementing environmental impact assessment: insights from Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia.” Environmental Impact Assessment Review 18, no. 2 (1998): 95-116.
Brisman, Avi, and Nigel South. “Green criminology and environmental crimes and harms.” Sociology Compass 13, no. 1 (2019): e12650.
Chowdhury, Amtul, and Mohammad Belayet Hossain. “Role of environmental law and international conventions in mitigating climate change effects on food system and livestock production.” Lex Publica 8, no. 2 (2021): 14-28.
Faizal, Zahranissa Putri. “Strict liability in environmental dispute responsibility before and after the enabling of omnibus law.” Administrative and Environmental Law Review 2, no. 1 (2021): 53-60.
Febriyani, Nur Hidayah, and Hartiwiningsih Hartiwiningsih. “Corporate Criminal Liability Post Elimination of Coal Faba Waste Status From B3 Waste Category in Indonesia.” Jurnal Hukum 38, no. 1 (2022): 12-31.
Gray, Wayne, and Jay Shimshack. “The Effectiveness of Environmental Monitoring and Enforcement: A Review of the Empirical Evidence.” Review of Environmental Economics and Policy 5, no. 1 (2011): 3-24.
Greife, Matthew, Paul B. Stretesky, Tara O’Connor Shelley, and Mark Pogrebin. “Corporate environmental crime and environmental justice.” Criminal Justice Policy Review 28, no. 4 (2017): 327-346.
Gunningham, Neil, and Darren Sinclair. “Regulatory pluralism: Designing policy mixes for environmental protection.” Law & Policy 21, no. 1 (1999): 49-76.
Gunningham, Neil, Robert A. Kagan, and Dorothy Thornton. “Social license and environmental protection: why businesses go beyond compliance.” Law & Social Inquiry 29, no. 2 (2004): 307-341.
Karkkainen, Bradley C. “Information as environmental regulation: TRI and performance benchmarking, precursor to a new paradigm?.” Georgetown Law Journal 89, no. 2 (2001): 257-370.
Kaur, Jupinder, and S. K. Gosal. “Biotransformation of pollutants: a microbiological perspective.” Rhizobiont in Bioremediation of Hazardous Waste 54 no. 5 (2021): 151-162.
Kim, In Song, and Helen V. Milner. “Multinational Corporations and their Influence Through Lobbying on Foreign Policy.” In Multinational Corporations in a Changing Global Economy. Brookings Institution: Washington, DC. 2019. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Kim_Milner_manuscript.pdf.
Knoepfel, Peter. “Environmental Policy (2002).” In Environmental Policy Analyses: Learning from the Past for the Future-25 Years of Research, edited by Peter Knoepfel, 7-22. Springer Berlin, Heidelberg, 2007.
Kusuma, Lalu Aria Nata. “Environmental Disputes Without Protection of Strict Liability Principles: Again, Law on Job Creation.” Law and Justice 7, no. 1 (2022): 1-13.
LaGrega, Michael D., Phillip L. Buckingham, and Jeffrey C. Evans. Hazardous waste management. Long Grove: Waveland Press, 2010.
Liu, Lina, Muhammad Bilal, Xuguo Duan, and Hafiz MN Iqbal. “Mitigation of environmental pollution by genetically engineered bacteria—current challenges and future perspectives.” Science of The Total Environment 667 (2019): 444-454.
Maruf, Arifin. “Legal Aspects of Environment in Indonesia: an Efforts to Prevent Environmental Damage and Pollution.” Journal of Human Rights, Culture and Legal System 1, no. 1 (2021): 18-31.
McVean, Courtney R., and Justin R. Pidot. “Environmental Settlements and Administrative Law.” Harvard Environmental Law Review 39, no. 1 (2015): 191-239.
Naibaho, Nathalina. “Rethinking the ultimum remedium principle to support justice and strong law enforcement institutions in environmental crimes.” In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, vol. 716, no. 1, p. 012068. IOP Publishing, 2021.
Najicha, Fatma Ulfatun. “Legal Review of Policy Changes on Environmental Pollution in the Law on Environmental Protection and Management of the Job Creation Law in Indonesia.” In International Conference on Environmental and Energy Policy (ICEEP 2021), pp. 273-277. Atlantis Press, 2021.
Ni’mah, Fadhilatun, Anis Mashdurohatun, and Andri Winjaya Laksana. “The Implementation of Administrative Sanctions on Violations of Environmental Law.” Ratio Legis Journal 1, no. 3 (2022): 416-424.
O’connell, Mary Ellen. “Enforcement and the success of international environmental law.” Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies 5, no. 9, (1995): 47-64.
Ong, David M. “The impact of environmental law on corporate governance: international and comparative perspectives.” European Journal of International Law 12, no. 4 (2001): 685-726.
Orts, Eric W. “Reflexive Environmental Law.” In Environmental Law, edited by Peter S. Menell, 347-460. London: Routledge, 2018.
Pardede, Marulak, Mosgan Situmorang, Syprianus Aristeus, Ismail Rumadan, Henry Donald Lumban Toruan, Diogenes Diogenes, Djamilus Djamilus, and Ellen Lutya Putri Nugrahani. “Perspectives of sustainable development vs. law enforcement on damage, pollution and environmental conservation management in Indonesia.” Journal of Water and Climate Change 23, no.12 (2023) 35-50
Pimbert, Michel P., and Jules N. Pretty. “Parks, People and Professionals: Putting ‘Participation’into Protected-Area Management.” In Social Change and Conservation, edited by Krishna B. Ghimire and Michael P. Pimbert, 297-330. London: Routledge, 2013.
Rifa, Tasfiea, and Mohammad Belayet Hossain. “Micro plastic pollution in South Asia: The impact of plastic pollution over the unsustainable development goals.” Lex Publica 9, no. 2 (2022): 01-28.
Shelton, Dinah. “Human Rights, Environmental Rights, and the Right to Environment.” In Environmental Rights, edited by Steve Vanderheiden, 509-544. London: Routledge, 2017.
Shover, Neal, and Aaron S. Routhe. “Environmental crime.” Crime and Justice 32 (2005): 321-371.
Situmeang, Nelly Marisi. “Licensing for Hazardous and Toxic Waste Management: A Study on Environmental Administrative Law (Case Study: Court Judgment Number 1872/PID. B: H/2015/PN. LBP).” Journal of Environmental and Development Studies 3, no. 1 (2022): 40-47.
Spence, David. “The shadow of the rational polluter: Rethinking the role of rational actor models in environmental law.” California Law Review 89, no. 4 (2001): 917-917.
Stone, Christopher D. “Should Trees have Standing? —Toward Legal Rights for Natural Objects.” In Environmental Rights, edited by Steve Vanderheiden, 283-334. London: Routledge, 2017.
Tarlock, A. Dan, and Pedro Tarak. “An Overview of Comparative Environmental Law.” Denver Journal of International Law & Policy 13, no. 1 (1983): 6-15.
Tomkins, Kevin. “Police, law enforcement and the environment.” Current issues in criminal justice 16, no. 3 (2005): 294-306.
Widodo, Ismu Gunadi, J. Andy Hartanto, Eddy Pranjoto W, and Jonaedi Efendi. “Constraints on Enforcement of Environmental Law Against Corporate Defendants.” Environmental Policy and Law 49, no. 1 (2019): 76-83.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
