By Gabrielle Tassone -- February 1, 2010
The Rockmore Company has admitted to discharging human waste in the coastal waters of Massachusetts.
They are accused of illegally dumping waste from their sightseeing cruise ship, and floating restaurant, from 1990 to 2006 because the company allegedly was unwilling to pay for proper waste removal services.
If a plea deal is approved between Rockmore and the U.S. Government, their apology will appear in the Boston Herald. U.S. District Judge Joseph L. Tauro will make the decision on February 8, in Boston.
If the plea is accepted, The Rockmore Company will have to pay more than $300,000 in fines, spend three years on probation, and run an apology in the Boston Herald.
The ad is to read "We, The Rockmore Company, sincerely apologize for contaminating the costal waterways of Massachusetts. For these actions, we have paid a steep fine and have pleaded guilty to criminal charges. We are sorry." At the bottom of the ad, the company's name will appear twice as large as the typeface.
Pete Ball, the Boston lawyer for Rockmore, told the Boston Globe that it was inappropriate for him, or the company to comment on the pending case.
Some legal scholars believe the apologetic ads will be an effective deterrent to environmental crimes.
Steve Calandrillo, associate dean and professor at the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle, said, "Shaming sanctions can be a responsible tool in our deterrence arsenal and are particularly effective in cases where people care about their reputations.''
Calandrillo also noted that the sanction is much less expensive for society, unlike jailing the offenders.
Others, however, disagree. A Professor at George Washington University Law School, Johnathan Turley, doubts the deterrence factor of the ad, as the reader will know that no one is going to jail as a result of their actions.
"If you really want to deter this conduct," Turley said, "you put company officials in jail."
