Environmental cases in the correctional court: A sociology of judicial work

This article focuses on the penal treatment of environmental damage through a sociological approach to judicial work. Based on environmental cases with a medium degree of seriousness, which are typically dealt with in the correctional courts, it studies the activities and interactions of the various protagonists involved in the trial. It deciphers the ways in which violations are framed during the procedure, involving challenges, alliance strategies, and the search for agreement, bringing into tension different professional cultures and routines, and shedding light on the broader functioning of penal institutions, where the environment occupies only a marginal place.