Nils Christie is a Norwegian sociologist

Sociology

Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...

 and criminologist

Criminology

Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society...

. He is a professor of criminology at the University of Oslo

University of Oslo

The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...

 since 1966. Among his books is Pinens begrensning from 1981, which has been translated into eleven languages. He has received an honorary degree

Honorary degree

An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...

 at the University of Copenhagen

University of Copenhagen

The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...

. Christie is well known for his long standing criticism of drug prohibition, industrial society

Industrial society

In sociology, industrial society refers to a society driven by the use of technology to enable mass production, supporting a large population with a high capacity for division of labour. Such a structure developed in the west in the period of time following the Industrial Revolution, and replaced...

, and prison

Prison

A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...

s.

He is a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters

Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters

The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway.-History:The University of Oslo was established in 1811. The idea of a learned society in Christiania surfaced for the first time in 1841. The city of Throndhjem had no university, but had a learned...

.

Select bibliography

• Fangevoktere i konsentrasjonsleire (1952)
• Hvis skolen ikke fantes (1971)
• 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 passande mengde kriminalitet (2004)
  • A Suitable Amount of Crime (2004)