Fort de son histoire dans l’accueil et la prise en charge de personnes dangereuses, le centre hospitalier de Cadillac a créé une unité singulière dans le paysage hospitalier français : l’Institut Psycho-Judiciaire. Les passages à l’acte dangereux sont récurrents, avec parfois des conséquences humaines très importantes. Développer les connaissances sur ces problèmes fait partie de l’éventail de réponses à leur apporter. Dans cette optique, l’Institut psycho-judiciaire a pour vocation de développer et de diffuser des informations et des connaissances sur la dangerosité et sur des sujets qui y sont associés. Mieux connaître la dangerosité, c’est aussi mieux la prévenir.

Drawing on its experience in welcoming and treating dangerous mentally unstable persons, Cadillac hospital has created a unique unit in the French hospital landscape: the Psycho-Legal Institute. To take the plunge into committing a dangerous act is common, and sometimes these acts have very significant human consequences. Developing our knowledge of these problems is one in a range of ways of reacting to them. In this light, the Psycho-Legal Institute's mission is to develop and distribute information and knowledge concerning human dangerous behaviour and associated subjects. The number of those who stand to benefit from research in this field and the knowledge drawn from it is potentially considerable. Many in France and beyond may be concerned in the Institute's output. Whether it be by reading the paper and digital publications or by monitoring the verbal briefings, a sizable number of healthcare professionals – notably those working in mental healthcare – and agents of justice should find that they have an interest in sharing the information and knowledge emitted from the Psycho-Legal Institute. The list of professionals concerned is very open: doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, judges, lawyers, judiciary experts, penitentiary workers, police investigators, etc. Students who plan to train in these professions will also draw great benefit from the Institute making the resulting knowledge readily available. To have a better understanding of dangerous behaviour is also to know how to better prevent it.