Up Skirts and Down Blouses: A Statutory Analysis of Legislative Responses to Video Voyeurism

Abstract

Video voyeurism is a relatively new crime that involves the use of video cameras in public areas to record underneath women’s clothing. Recently, several courts have determined that this form of voyeurism is not covered under existing criminal statutes dealing with voyeurism. This paper examines current statutes relating to voyeurism to determine if these laws are adequate or if new legislation is required to combat video voyeurism. Some of the areas covered include: the nature of video voyeurism, challenges faced by law enforcement, and the challenges faced by lawmakers attempting to write legislation which will clearly criminalize the behavior.

Keywords:

• Video Voyeurism
• Invasion of Privacy
• Upskirting and Downblousing

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Valerie Bell

Valerie Bell and Craig Hemmens are in the Department of Criminal Justice Administration at Boise State University.

Benjamin Steiner

Benjamin Steiner is in the Division of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati.