Be a citizen means having rights but also duties and be subject to laws. Educating to legality is essential for mutual respect in the community, for the rules of social life and to exercise own rights of citizenship. A psychiatric patient can commit crimes because of mental disorders but also in absence of psycopathological problem. When a patient commits an offence, it is correct to know whether he was due and if he is actually a danger to society. The law do not allow ignorance but what patients really know about the law is not clear.

In this study, we want to investigate the legal knowledge in citizens with mental disorders. Moreover, we want to build pathways to increase compliance with the law.

We collected a cohort of 10 offenders and asked them if they were interested in an educational course on legality. We interviewed a sample of patients at risk of breaking the Penal code to assess their basic knowledge.

The reasons to undertake an educational program on compliance with the law were higher for offenders, maybe for fear of damaging sanctions. Those at risk of being sued for their behavior seemed to have more background than other group.

It is essential to develop educational programs about crime prevention within the psychiatric field through training courses that increase the knowledge and awareness of effects of the Penal code. Moreover, citizens with mental disorders at risk of crimes should be supported by specific interventions aimed to social ethics.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.