Nils Christie

Nils Christie (24 February 1928 – 27 May 2015) 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.

Early life and education Christie was born in Oslo on 24 February 1928, as son of store manager Ragnvald Christie (1895-1957) and Ruth Hellum (1900-1987).

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. Christie found the most vital explanations for crime in how our society is organized rather than inherent differences between people.

Christie was a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. He received an honorary degree from the University of Copenhagen in 1996. 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 .

Select bibliography Fangevoktere i konsentrasjonsleire (Prison Guards in Concentration Camps, 1952) Unge norske lovovertredere (1960) 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) Små ord om store spørgsmål (2020)