Penal Code No. 16 of 1960.

The Jordanian Penal Code, comprising 476 articles, is divided into two books: General Provisions (Articles 1–106) and Offences (Articles 107–476), forming the basic framework for criminal liability and offences. Book One establishes the general principles of criminal law, including its application in time and space, rules of jurisdiction, classification of penalties, and measures such as imprisonment, fines, and confiscation. It also regulates criminal responsibility, exemptions (e.g., self-defence, insanity, necessity), civil consequences like compensation, and the conditions under which criminal actions or sentences are extinguished. In addition, it sets out mitigating and aggravating circumstances used by courts in sentencing. Book Two defines specific offences grouped by category, including crimes against state security (such as treason and espionage), public safety and order (riots and illegal associations), public administration and justice (bribery and perjury), public trust (forgery), persons (assault, homicide, sexual offences), property (theft, fraud, arson), and morality and family protections. It also includes petty infractions covering minor public order, hygiene, pricing violations, and animal cruelty.
The primary environmental protections are set out across specific provisions in Book Two, Chapter Eleven of the framework and related sections, addressing water resources, land and vegetation, and animal protection. They are (i) Water System and Pollution Controls: under Articles 455 to 458, the Law criminalizes conduct affecting public water resources. Article 455 penalizes the unlawful interference with the quantity, flow, or distribution of public waters. Article 456 provides sanctions for the destruction, damage, or sabotage of public water infrastructure and related works. Article 457 prohibits the contamination or pollution of public water networks in general, while Article 458 specifically criminalizes the pollution of public drinking water sources; (ii) Arson, Wildlands, and Agricultural Protections: the law also protects vegetation, forests, and agricultural land through several provisions. Article 369 imposes severe penalties for the intentional setting of fires in forests, woodlands, or standing crops. Article 449 criminalizes the deliberate destruction or damage of natural vegetation, crops, trees, saplings, or similar cultivated resources belonging to others. Article 451 provides lesser penalties for the unauthorized pruning, cutting, or interference with fruit trees, grafts, or young shoots; (iii) Protection of Animals: Article 452 establishes criminal liability for the intentional killing, poisoning, or serious injury of animals or livestock belonging to others. While primarily applied to livestock, domestic animals, or managed wildlife, it serves as the baseline protection against the destruction of animal life.
The Penal Law contains specific provisions aimed at protecting food quality and safeguarding public health from the sale of adulterated, corrupted, or otherwise harmful food and drink. These rules are primarily set out in Book Two, Chapter Eight (Offences Threatening Public Safety), within the sections concerning public health and commercial integrity, and are structured around two main areas: (i) adulteration and corruption of food and drink: Article 387 criminalizes the adulteration or corruption of food, drink, or medicinal substances intended for human consumption or sale, particularly where such alteration renders them harmful or toxic and is carried out with knowledge that they will be consumed. Article 388 further penalizes anyone who knowingly sells, offers for sale, or possesses for commercial purposes food, beverages, or ingredients that are rotten, noxious, or otherwise unfit for human consumption; (ii) fraudulent commercial practices and deception: Article 433 addresses broader forms of commercial fraud by criminalizing deception regarding the nature, essential qualities, origin, or composition of goods supplied. This provision also covers the misrepresentation or falsification of food products and related quality standards in commercial transactions.
The Law contains specific criminal provisions aimed at protecting water resources, in terms of infrastructure and distribution networks, under Book Two, Chapter Eleven (Offences Damaging the Public Interest and Private Property). The framework establishes clear penalties for the sabotage, illicit diversion, and improper use of water supplies through Articles 456, 455, and 457. Article 456 imposes strict penalties on anyone who intentionally destroys, demolishes, damages, or renders unusable public water infrastructure, including dams, canals, distribution channels, barriers, locks, pipes, and other works used for water management, irrigation, or public utility purposes. Article 455 criminalizes any unauthorized interference with the quantity, flow, or lawful distribution of public waters, including the manipulation of watercourses or measuring devices to divert water for personal or agricultural use, thereby depriving lawful users. Article 457 further extends liability to broader forms of misuse of public water networks, including unauthorized connections or tapping into state-managed water extraction and irrigation systems.