Nils Christie

Nils Christie (24 February 1928 – 27 May 2015)^[1] was a Norwegian sociologist and criminologist. He was a professor of criminology at the Faculty of Law, University of Oslo. Considered a leading figure of his field, Christie is one of two Norwegian social scientists covered in the book 50 Key Thinkers in Criminology (Routledge, 2009), alongside sociologist Thomas Mathiesen.^[2]

Nils Christie
Nils Christie speaking at Utah Valley State College in 2007
Born	(1928-02-24)24 February 1928 Oslo, Norway
Died	27 May 2015(2015-05-27) (aged 87) Oslo, Norway
Citizenship	Norwegian
Awards	Fritt Ord Award (2001)
Scientific career
Fields	Criminology, Sociology

Early life and education

Christie was born in Oslo on 24 February 1928, as son of Ragnvald Christie and Ruth Hellum. Having passed examen artium at Berg Upper Secondary School in 1946, he graduated in sociology from the University of Oslo in 1953. His 1959 dr.philos. thesis, Unge norske lovovertredere (Young Norwegian Offenders), compared all male lawbreakers born in 1933 in Norway to others born the same year.^[3]

Career

Christie was appointed to the Faculty of Law, University of Oslo from 1959, and was a professor of criminology at the faculty from 1966. A prolific writer, Christie was the author of several books including Pinens begrensning (Limits to Pain) from 1981, which has been translated into eleven languages, Crime Control as Industry (2000) and A Suitable Amount of Crime (2004). The book If Schools Didn't Exist (1971; English edition 2020) is also considered a key work of his. Christie became well known for his longstanding criticisms of drug prohibition, industrial society, and prisons. He expressed the belief that in order to understand crime, it is vital to understand the society around us, and vice versa, and he considered it the duty of a social scientist to influence society through debate and dialogue.^[4] Christie found the most vital explanations for crime in how our society is organized rather than inherent differences between people.^[4]

Christie was a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.^[5] He received an honorary degree from the University of Copenhagen in 1996.^[3][4] In 2001 he was awarded the Fritt Ord Freedom of Expression Prize "for his original and independent contributions to the Norwegian and international social debate."^[6] His work Fangevoktere i konsentrasjonsleire (Prison Guards in Concentration Camps, 1952) was selected for the Norwegian Sociology Canon in 2009–2011.

Personal life

Christie married Vigdis Margit Moe in 1951, and was later married to sociologist Hedda Giertsen [no].^[3]

Select bibliography

• Fangevoktere i konsentrasjonsleire (Prison Guards in Concentration Camps, 1952)
• Hvis skolen ikke fantes (1971)
  • If Schools Didn't Exist (2020)
• Pinens begrensning (1981)
  • Limits to Pain (1981)
• Den gode fiende: Narkotikapolitikk i Norden (with Kettil Bruun, 1985)
• Kriminalitetskontrol som industri: På vej mod GULAG, vestlig stil? (1996)
  • Crime Control as Industry: Towards GULAGs, Western Style? (2000)
• En passende mengde kriminalitet (2004)
  • A Suitable Amount of Crime (2004)

See also

• Christie's reaction to the Beisfjord Massacre

References

1. Nils Christie er død, Aftenposten.no
2. Fifty Key Thinkers in Criminology. Routledge Key Guides. 2009.
3. Kalleberg, Ragnvald. "Nils Christie". In Helle, Knut (ed.). Norsk biografisk leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
4. "Nils Christie". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
5. "Gruppe 8: Samfunnsfag (herunder sosiologi, statsvitenskap og økonomi)" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
6. The Fritt Ord Freedom of Expression Prize Laureates

Awards
Preceded by Thomas Chr. Wyller	Recipient of the Fritt Ord Award 2001	Succeeded by Aslam Ahsan and Shabana Rehman