L12DB

250 wordsCheck out this link to explore recent environmental crime convictions. Corporate convictions are not uncommon. For example, the Tulip Corporation of New York was convicted for illegally storing lead contaminated materials without a permit. Penalties included a $100,000 fine and a $25,000 to Buffalo Niagara Riverkeepers.       

In another case, Mar-Cone Appliance Part Co. was convicted of purchasing and selling ozone depleting refrigerant gas, which was illegally smuggled into the United States in violation of the Clean Air Act.  The sentence included a five-year probation for the business, a half-million-dollar criminal fine, and a four hundred-thousand-dollar payment to a nonprofit organization. The company distributed this illegal substance throughout the United States, which was an action condemned as undermining global environmental efforts to reduce ozone damage for personal gain.

As you can see from these two examples, both business were monetarily fined and placed on "business probation."  Businesses do not make decisions, rather it is their directors and officers.  Do you believe that fines are enough or should officers and directors always be subject to criminal sentences for these "businesses'" illegal practices?