The scientific article clarifies the social conditionality of the criminalization of socially dangerous acts against the environment, defines and investigates its criteria. According to the author, the social conditionality of criminal offenses against the environment is the idea of society about the criminalization of the corresponding illegal acts in this area based on the degree of their social danger, relative prevalence and typicality, dynamics, the possibility of influencing them by legal, in particular criminal law, means, the ability of the criminal justice system to counteract these offenses. It is noted that one of the essential features of criminal offenses in the field of environmental protection and, at the same time, social and criminological criteria for the criminalization of individual acts is social danger. It is concluded that the high degree of social danger of the analyzed acts is due to the significance of protected social relations, a wide range of objects of encroachment, as well as the system of criminological features of illegal acts associated with environmental risk, the ongoing nature of negative consequences (harm), the constant expansion of the range of socially dangerous encroachments, high latency, cross-border nature, negative impact on all institutions of society. It is noted that the main feature of the social danger of the analyzed acts is the significance of the social goods that the person encroaches on – such a state of the natural environment and its individual components that meets the criteria, standards, limits and norms established in the legislation. It is determined that a characteristic feature of the social danger of illegal acts provided for in Section VIII “Criminal Offenses against the Environment” of the Special Part of the Criminal Code of Ukraine is their harmfulness, the ability to cause harm.
1. Mineralni resursy Ukrainy. (2014). [Mineral resources of Ukraine] / [redkol.: M. V., Heichenko, O. V., Zur’ian, S. O., Nekrasova ta in.]. Kyiv : Derzh. nauk.-vyrob. pidpryiem. “Derzhavnyi informatsiinyi heolohichnyi fond Ukrainy”. 270 p. [In Ukrainian].
2. Martyn, A. H., Osypchuk, S. O., Chumachenko, O. M. (2015). Pryrodno-silskohospodarske raionuvannia Ukrainy [Natural and agricultural zoning of Ukraine]: monohrafiia. Kyiv : Komprynt. 328 p. [In Ukrainian].
3. Medynska, N. (2024). Systema intehrovanoho upravlinnia vodnymy resursamy Ukrainy v poli zoru providnykh vchenykh [System of integrated water resources management of Ukraine in the field of view of leading scientists]. Retrieved from: https://nubip.edu.ua/node/49032 (Accessed: 18.04.2025). [In Ukrainian].
4. Danylyshyn, B. (2013). Haluz, yaka vytiahuie ekonomiku Ukrainy [Industry that pulls the economy of Ukraine]. Retrieved from: https://glavcom.ua/columns/b_danilishyn/121313-galuz-jaka-vitjaguje-ekon... (Accessed: 18.04.2025). [In Ukrainian].
5. Turlova, Yu. A. (2015). Sotsialno-psykholohichni peredumovy kryminalizatsii ekolohichnykh zlochyniv [Socio-psychological prerequisites for the criminalization of environmental crimes]. Naukovyi visnyk Uzhhorodskoho natsionalnoho universytetu. Vyp. 34 (3). P. 62–66.
6. Melnyk, O. V. (2012). Zapobihannia zlochynam shchodo zabrudnennia dovkillia v Ukraini [Prevention of crimes related to environmental pollution in Ukraine] : avtoref. dys. ... kand. yuryd. nauk : 12.00.08. Kyiv. 19 p. [In Ukrainian].
7. Kryminalnyi kodeks Ukrainy [Criminal Code of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy vid 5 kvit. 2001 r. No. 2341-III. Baza danyh “Zakonodavstvo Ukrainy” / VR Ukrainy. Retrieved from: http://zakon2.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2341-14 (Accessed: 18.04.2025). [In Ukrainian].
8. Khylko, M. I. (2017). Ekolohichna bezpeka Ukrainy. [Ecological security of Ukraine]: navch. posib. Kyiv. 267 p. [In Ukrainian].
9. Kolisnyk, S. V., Turlova, Yu. A. (2023). Sotsialno-kryminolohichni peredumovy kryminalizatsii bezghospodarskoho vykorystannia zemel [Socio-criminological prerequisites for the criminalization of wasteful land use]. Naukovyi visnyk Uzhhorodskoho natsionalnoho universytetu. T. 2. No. 76. P. 119–125. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.24144/2307-3322.2022.76.2.20 (Accessed: 18.04.2025). [In Ukrainian].
10. Turlova, Yu. A. (2018). Protydiia ekolohichnii zlochynnosti v Ukraini: kryminolohichni ta kryminalno-pravovi zasady [Combating environmental crime in Ukraine: criminological and criminal law principles] : dys. ... dokt. yuryd. nauk: 12.00.08. Kyiv. 485 p. [In Ukrainian].
11. Demydova, L. M. (2014). Kryminalno-pravova vidpovidalnist za zapodiiannia mainovoi shkody [Criminal liability for causing property damage]: avtoref. dys. … d-ra yuryd. nauk : 12.00.08. Kharkiv. 37 p.
12. Kodeks Ukrainy pro administratyvni pravoporushennia [Code of Ukraine on administrative offenses]: Zakon Ukrainskoi RSR vid 7 hrud. 1984 r. No. 8073-X. Baza danyh “Zakonodavstvo Ukrainy” / VR Ukrainy. Retrieved from: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/80731-10 (Accessed: 18.04.2025). [In Ukrainian].
13. Dudorov, O. O., Movchan, R. O. (2020). Pro napriamy vdoskonalennia mekhanizmu kryminalno-pravovoi okhorony dovkillia (na zamitku rozrobnykam novoho Kryminalnoho kodeksu Ukrainy [On directions for improving the mechanism of criminal-legal environmental protection (for the note of the developers of the new Criminal Code of Ukraine)]. Visnyk Asotsiatsii kryminalnoho prava Ukrainy. No. 1. P. 92–125. [In Ukrainian].
14. Omelchuk, O. M. (2014). Kharakterystyka yurydychno-kryminolohichnykh pidstav kryminalizatsii suspilno nebezpechnykh diian [Characteristics of the legal and criminological grounds for the criminalization of socially dangerous acts]. Universytetski zapysky. No. 1 (49). P. 138–143. [In Ukrainian].
15. Davydenko, V. L. (2020). Pidstavy ta pryntsypy kryminalizatsii diian proty vlasnosti [Grounds and principles of criminalization of acts against property]. Pravo i suspilstvo. No. 2. Ch. 3. P. 17–23. [In Ukrainian].
16. Shulha, A. M. (2013). Kryminalno-pravova okhorona zemel vid zabrudnennia abo psuvannia [Criminal and legal protection of land from pollution or damage]: monohrafiia. Kharkiv : NikaNiva. 264 p. [In Ukrainian].
17. Fris, P. L. (2005). Kryminalno-pravova polityka Ukrainskoi derzhavy: teoretychni, istorychni ta pravovi problemy [Criminal and legal policy of the Ukrainian state: theoretical, historical and legal problems]: monohrafiia.. K.: ATIKA. 332 p. [In Ukrainian].