Denis Lafortune is a Full Professor at the School of Criminology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Montreal. He is also the Scientific Director of the University Institute for Youth in Difficulty (IUJD) at the CIUSSS of the Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal. He is the author of the "Parcours" program, which has been supported by the Ministry of Public Safety since 2007 and offered to detainees in all Quebec prisons. Since 2014, the Parcours program has also been gradually implemented in France.

His research program is organized around five themes.

The first theme focuses on the profiles and trajectories of adolescent offenders in general, and those who commit violent and sexual offenses in particular.

The second theme of his work concerns the use of psychotropic drugs among adolescents and adults in institutional settings, as well as the adherence to prescriptions by the individuals concerned.

The third part deals with incarcerated adults who suffer from mental health issues, as well as the interventions carried out with them.

The fourth part focuses on the management of severe behavioral disorders in institutional settings, particularly from the perspective of intensive supervision and the various measures restricting freedom.

Finally, more recently, the fifth theme addresses mentalization and coping strategies as possible moderating factors in the relationship between maltreatment and the manifestation of behavioral disorders.