El Derecho penal español cuenta, a consecuencia de las reformas penales de LO 5/2010 y 1/2015, con el llamado compliance ambiental como expediente con el que es posible eximir o atenuar la responsabilidad penal de las personas jurídicas que cometan alguno de los delitos contra el medio ambiente del Capítulo III, Título XVI del Código penal. El análisis de dichos criminal compliance programs, se revela esencial dado que los delitos ambientales son uno de los característicos “corporate risks” que, de forma bastante frecuente en los ordenamientos de nuestro entorno jurídico, fundamenta la responsabilidad penal de las empresas. Así lo demuestra la experiencia en Derecho penal estadounidense de donde proceden los environmental compliance cuyos rasgos básicos son analizados en este trabajo para examinar si sus funciones y contenido esencial son extrapolables a lo que el Derecho penal español denomina programas eficaces de prevención, en medio ambiente, a efectos de limitar la responsabilidad penal de aquellos entes, derivada del art. 328 CP. En especial, se analizan las posibilidades y límites para imputar responsabilidad penal a las personas jurídicas por delitos ambientales imprudentes o por las llamadas prevaricaciones ambientales. Y, por último, se propone el contenido mínimo básico que aquellos compliance programs deberán contener, por referencia a los mapas de riegos y al análisis del peligro.

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Environmental compliance and criminal liability of legal entities in light of LO 1/2015, 30th March

Since the penal reforms of Organic Laws 5/2010 and 1/2015, Spanish Criminal law considers the environmental compliance as a category which creates the possibility to mitigate or exempt corporate criminal liability in cases which are charged with environmental offences under Chapter III, Tittle XVI of the Spanish Penal Code. The analysis of those criminal compliance programs, is essential due to the fact that environmental offences are one of the typical “corporate risks” which, in most Western legal systems often serves, to charge corporations with criminal liability. This is noted specifically within the American Criminal system, in which the environmental compliances have their origins. This paper will analyze the main features of this kind of criminal compliance and consider if the functions and essential content could utilize the Spanish Criminal Law method known as the ‘efficient programs of organization and management’ in environmental field, in order to limit corporate criminal liability which is established according to art. 328 PC. Furthermore, in particular analyzing the possibilities and limits that attribute criminal liability to legal entities for environmental offences committed by negligence or by corruption in the environmental field. In the closing stages of the research, there is a proposal about the basic content of environmental compliance, with special mention to the risk assessment and risk mapping