Provides relative to conduct that constitutes the crime of video voyeurism

House Bill 265 enacts a new subsection to Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:283(A) that expands the definition of the crime of video voyeurism to include the use of cameras, videotaping equipment, photo-optical devices, photo-electric devices, or other image recording devices, including unmanned aircraft systems equipped with such devices, when used for the purpose of observing, viewing, photographing, filming, or videotaping the body of a deceased person. The legislation adds this conduct as a fourth category of activity constituting video voyeurism while preserving all existing statutory provisions governing the crime and its penalties.

The practical effect of this legislation is to criminalize the unauthorized recording or photographing of deceased persons' bodies using various technological means. This change will impact individuals, journalists, law enforcement personnel, and other parties who might otherwise legally or illegally attempt to document deceased individuals without authorization. The new provision protects the dignity of the deceased and their families by establishing criminal liability for those who use cameras, drones, or other recording technology to capture images of deceased persons' bodies in violation of privacy expectations, creating a specific deterrent against such conduct and providing law enforcement and prosecutors with a distinct charge applicable to this category of conduct.

The legislation operates within Louisiana's broader criminal code structure governing crimes against persons and property. Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:283 previously established video voyeurism as a crime encompassing nonconsensual recording or observation of intimate body parts or specified private areas, and this bill extends that protective framework to deceased persons. The statute falls within Louisiana's criminal law regime that generally prohibits intrusions upon privacy and unauthorized recording of individuals. This addition complements existing Louisiana law protecting the dignity of human remains and reflects legislative policy recognizing that privacy interests extend to deceased persons and that technological advances, particularly unmanned aircraft systems, create new potential avenues for privacy violations that warrant specific statutory prohibition.