Former South Bend resident wins the 2024 Stockholm Prize in Criminology

Gary LaFree was hiking in Nepal along the trail to Mount Everest when his phone rang. He was sure it was a prank. Getting a call from Stockholm is a little unusual.

No joke here. It was real. The call came to tell him that he won the 2024 Stockholm Prize in Criminology. He and a co-recipient — Tom R. Tyler, a professor of law and psychology at Yale Law School — will split one million Swedish Kronor, or about $45,000 each. It will be presented in summer.

This is the Nobel Prize for criminology. “The ceremony will be in the Stockholm City Hall this (June), and the award is given by the Queen of Sweden, which thrilled my grandkids,” he said.

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It was a good thing his son, Andrew, was with him in Nepal. Andrew is an ER doctor. Always good to take the medical team with you.

And phone service in Nepal? That’s a commercial waiting to happen.

Gary is a former South Bend resident, a Washington High and IU Bloomington graduate. He is a Distinguished University Professor in the criminology and criminal justice department at the University of Maryland. His research has linked increases in crime with increased doubts about the legitimacy of legal and social institutions. His main areas of expertise are sociology, criminology, race and crime.

“Everything was questioned in the 1960s with protests, the war in Vietnam and Watergate,” he said. Crime increased. And that has happened again with recent questions of authority and institutions. But the good thing is that people change and trust returns, he said. Crime rates drop.

The award "recognizes outstanding achievements in criminological research or for the application of research results by practitioners for the reduction of crime and the advancement of human rights.”

He has written numerous articles, book chapters and texts. He has received a number of awards for his work and served on noted commissions. Gary has been quoted many times in national publications and broadcasts regarding crime statistics and society.

Before Maryland, he was a professor at the University of New Mexico and was the director of the New Mexico Criminal Justice Statistics Analysis Center for 13 years. He was appointed by the governor of New Mexico to chair the State Crime and Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council, a position he held for four years.

He was going to be a lawyer back in his college days, but he took a different direction after a criminology class. He went on to get his doctorate from IU.

The start was humble. Gary grew up on a farm west of town near Lydick. His parents, George (Bud) and Norma (Betty), were well known in the area and active in the Lydick United Methodist Church, the volunteer fire department and VFW.

Bud was a bus driver for South Bend schools for more than 25 years, retiring in 1986. Bud died in 2013. Betty is approaching her 100th birthday, Gary said.

“They had 140 acres near the farm that had the buffaloes.” Would that be the Homer Fitterling farm? “That’s right. This has been a blast from the past” talking to someone who knows the area, he said.

He said the award is proud to receive this recognition after his long career.

So how do you prepare for the trip? For one thing, he will be practicing his bows for the queen.

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Some side thoughts for the beginning of the week. Why? Because you enjoy a little brightness. Allegedly, there was a football game on Sunday. (This was written earlier in the week.) It was probably a great game and some of the commercials were adequate. However, the Puppy Bowl was perfect.

With good weather, is anyone concerned about fruit trees and tulips? Midwest person talking here.

I wish Amazon would consider featuring the singing llamas in more commercials. It was a Christmas commercial. They had a nice beat and were cute. And it would be all right if John Travolta as dancing Santa made a visit in the spring.

I’m not sure if I want to see more of the Geico caveman commercial. At least he seems to have married well and lives in the suburbs. And why is there a replacement guy from the emu commercial? Perhaps I need a hobby.

If we get more snow, watch for speed bumps. Those bumps on the streets can sneak up on you. What a shock if you have a cup of coffee.

Another surprise is Sample Street if you drive to the west. New lane markings — sort of. Sometimes it is two lanes and a turn lane. Sometimes it is four lanes. Sometimes it is a parking spot. Just an attempt to keep drivers guessing.

Contact Kathy at kfborlik@yahoo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Queen of Sweden to give award to former South Bend resident, Gary LaFree