Sellin, Thorsten

Sellin, Thorsten (Johan)

(1896–  ) educator, criminologist; born in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden. He emigrated to America (1915) to study. Teaching longest at the University of Pennsylvania (1920–68), he was named professor emeritus of the sociology department (1968); he also lectured at Columbia University (1935–46). Throughout his academic career he served as an international adviser on crime and penal codes. He advised the Census Bureau on criminal statistics (1931–46), helped construct the Swedish Penal Code (1946–47), was a member of the Prison Labor Compact Authority (1934), and was president of the International Penal and Penitentiary Foundation (1965–71). Serving on the steering committee of the 4th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention, he was author of several books including Culture Conflict and Crime (1938).

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.