HURWITZ, STEPHAN

HURWITZ, STEPHAN (1901–1981), Danish lawyer and criminologist. Born and educated in Copenhagen, he became a lecturer in law at the University of Copenhagen in 1932. During World War II, he was leader of the Danish Refugee Organization in Sweden and after the war was Danish representative at the War Crimes Commission. In 1950 he became chairman of the Permanent Committee of Penal Law, and in 1955 was elected Folketingets ombudsmand (parliamentary commissioner for civil and military administration). Hurwitz was appointed professor of law at Copenhagen University in 1935 and served as vice chancellor in 1953–54. From 1955 to 1971 he was Ombudsman of the Danish Parliament. Hurwitz wrote on criminal law procedure and criminology. His textbook Kriminologi (1948), translated into English, Italian, and Spanish, combines the results of European, British, American, and Scandinavian criminological studies. He wrote several significant essays, among them Respekt for mennesket ("Respect for the Human Being," 1951) and Det menneskelige ansvar ("The Human Responsibility," 1961). (Zvi Hermon)