pp. 793-818

This article probes relations between French judiciary and municipal actors in handling issues of public security at a time when programs are being implemented to promote partnership actions between these two sets of actors in response to the spread of state and regional-level contracting, the promotion of multidisciplinary approaches, and demand from cities. A monographic study is the basis for analyzing relations under way in this context. Despite occasional exchanges, cooperation between municipalities and the judiciary institution remains weak. Their relations are characterized more by avoidance than open conflict, however : actors prefer to withdraw discreetly from the partnerships rather than express their disagreements. This is due to the fact that the two groups follow highly differentiated types of action logic, though this does not preclude their recognizing each other’s roles. The two sets of actors do not define problems in the same way, and this affects how they order their priorities and what action modes they prefer.