美国环境犯罪严格刑事责任的演化与评析

为了确保食品、药物及环境等涉及公共福利领域的安全,美国法院发展并确立严格刑事责任制度,该制度包括公共福利犯罪原则和有责任的公司管理人员原则。确立环境严格刑事责任的目的是确保刑法在保护环境和促进环境法遵守方面的效率。公共福利犯罪原则和有责任的公司管理人员原则减轻了美国起诉部门的证明责任,降低了司法成本,同时提高了犯罪的成本,增强了刑法的威慑力。这体现了美国环境刑事政策的价值取向是社会利益保护优先和效率优先。

On Evolvement of Strict Criminal Liability for Environmental Crimes in America

In order to protect the safety of public welfare such as food,drug and environment,the US courts have established and developed the strict criminal liability based on public welfare offences doctrine and the responsible corporate officer doctrine.The purpose of establishing strict criminal liability for environmental crimes is to ensure efficiency of criminal laws in environmental protection and promotion compliance of environmental laws.The public welfare offences doctrine and the responsible corporate officer doctrine can mitigate proving responsibility of American prosecution administrations and reduce the judicial costs;meanwhile such doctrines can increase the costs of crime and enhance the deterrence of criminal law.Therefore,it can be indicated from American policies for environmental offences that protection of public interest and efficiency enjoy priority.