Introduction: the author examines the features of the emerging judicial practice when prescribing measures of a criminal legal nature in relation to persons who have committed environmental crimes. Based on analytical information from the Judicial Department of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, the tendency to use a legal institution in the form of a judicial fine for committing criminal acts in the field of environmental safety is presented. Materials and Methods: in the process of publication mainly applied scientific methods of cognition in the form of analysis and comparison of the author's researched topics of the material presented. The study of the Russian legal policy in the sphere of environmental security was carried out on the basis of a combination of general scientific and particular scientific methods, including formal-logical, dialectical, formal-legal, comparative-legal, statistical methods of scientific cognition. The Results of the Study: conclusions are formulated regarding the key directions of implementation of modern legal policy of Russia; goals, priorities and tasks in the field of environmental security are outlined; directions of updating the norms of the Russian criminal law are determined. Findings and Conclusions: based on the conclusions of the publication, it follows that, while exempting from criminal liability for environmental crimes, the public danger of certain criminal acts is not always assessed, as well as the importance of preserving a favorable environment and bioresources for future generations.