2006 Louisiana Laws - RS 15:541 — Definitions

§541.  Definitions

For the purposes of this Chapter, the definitions of terms in this Section shall apply:

(1)  "Aggravated offense" refers to any offense:

(a)  Where the offender engages in sexual acts involving penetration with any victim through the use of force or threats of serious violence.

(b)  Where the offender engages in sexual acts involving penetration of victims under the age of fourteen.

(2)  "Bureau" means the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information as established in Chapter 6 of this Title.

(3)  "Child predator" means a person who has been convicted of a criminal offense against a victim who is a minor, as defined in Paragraph (9).

(3.1)  "Child sexual predator" means a person defined as such in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 15:560.1.

(4)  "Conviction or other disposition adverse to the subject" means any disposition of charges, except a decision not to prosecute, a dismissal, or an acquittal, except when the acquittal is due to a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity and the person was committed.  However, a dismissal entered after a period of probation, suspension, or deferral of sentence shall be considered a disposition adverse to the subject.

(5)  "Conviction record" means criminal history record information relating to an incident which has led to a conviction or other disposition adverse to the subject.

(6)  "Court determination" means a determination that a person is a sexually violent predator or a determination that a person is no longer a sexually violent predator that shall be made by the sentencing court after receiving a report by the commission.

(7)  "Criminal history record information" means information contained in records collected by criminal justice agencies, other than courts, on individuals, consisting of identifiable descriptions and notations of arrests, detention, indictments, information, or other formal criminal charges, and any disposition arising therefrom, including sentences, correctional supervision, and release.  The term includes information contained in records maintained by or obtained from criminal justice agencies, other than courts, which records provide individual identification of a person together with any portion of the individual's record of involvement in the criminal justice system as an alleged or convicted offender, except:

(a)  Posters, announcements, or lists for identifying or apprehending fugitives or wanted persons.

(b)  Original records of entry maintained by criminal justice agencies to the extent that such records are compiled and maintained chronologically and are accessible only on a chronological basis.

(c)  Court indices and records of public judicial proceedings, court decisions, and opinions, and information disclosed during judicial proceedings.

(d)  Records of traffic violations which are not punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of more than ninety days.

(e)  Records of any traffic offenses as maintained by the office of motor vehicles for the purpose of regulating the issuance, suspension, revocation, or renewal of drivers' or other operators' licenses.

(f)  Records of any aviation violation or offenses as maintained by the Department of Transportation and Development for the purpose of regulating pilots or other aviation operators.

(g)  Announcements of pardons.

(8)  "Criminal justice agency" means:

(a)  A court.

(b)  A government agency which performs the administration of criminal justice pursuant to a statute or executive order and which allocates a substantial part of its annual budget to the administration of criminal justice.

(9)  "Criminal offense against a victim who is a minor" for the purposes of this Chapter means conviction for the perpetration or attempted perpetration of:

(a)  A violation of Subpart D of Part II of Chapter 1 of Title 14 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950 when the victim is under eighteen years of age and the defendant is not the parent of the victim.

(b)  A violation of any of the following provisions when the victim is under eighteen years of age:  R.S. 14:82, R.S. 14:82.1, R.S. 14:83, R.S. 14:84(1), (3), (5), or (6), R.S. 14:86, a sex offense as defined in Paragraph (14.1) of this Section, or R.S. 23:251(A)(4).

(10)  "Disposition" means the formal conclusion of a criminal proceeding at whatever stage it occurs in the criminal justice system.

(11)  "Dissemination" means disclosing criminal history record information or disclosing the absence of criminal history record information to any person or agency outside the agency possessing the information, subject to the following exceptions:

(a)  When criminal justice agencies jointly participate in the maintenance of a single recordkeeping department as an alternative to maintaining separate records, the furnishing of information by that department to personnel of any participating agency.

(b)  The furnishing of information by any criminal justice agency to another for the purpose of processing a matter through the criminal justice system, such as a police department providing information to a prosecutor for use in preparing a charge.

(c)  The reporting of an event to a recordkeeping agency for the purpose of maintaining the record.

(12)  "Mental abnormality" means a congenital or acquired condition of a person that affects the emotional or volitional capacity of the person in a manner that predisposes that person to the commission of criminal sexual acts to a degree that makes the person a menace to the health and safety of others.  Nothing in this definition is intended to supersede or apply to the definitions found in R.S. 14:10 or R.S. 14:14 in reference to criminal intent or insanity.

(13)  "Nonconviction data" consists of all criminal history record information relating to an incident which has not led to a conviction or other disposition adverse to the subject, and for which proceedings are no longer actively pending.  There shall be a rebuttable presumption that proceedings are no longer actively pending if more than one year has elapsed since arrest, citation, or service of warrant and no disposition has been entered.

(14)  "Predatory" means an act directed at a stranger or a person with whom a relationship has been established or promoted for the primary purpose of victimization.

(14.1)  "Sex offense" means deferred adjudication, adjudication withheld, or conviction for the perpetration or attempted perpetration of R.S. 14:78 (incest), R.S. 14:78.1 (aggravated incest), R.S. 14:89 (crime against nature), R.S. 14:89.1 (aggravated crime against nature), R.S. 14:92(A)(7) (contributing to the delinquency of juveniles), R.S. 14:93.5 (sexual battery of the infirm), R.S. 14:283 (video voyeurism), a second or subsequent conviction of R.S. 14:283.1 (voyeurism) or any provision of Subpart C of Part II or Subpart A(1) of Part V of Chapter 1 of Title 14 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, committed on or after June 18, 1992, or committed prior to June 18, 1992, if the person, as a result of the offense, is under the custody of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections on or after June 18, 1992.  A conviction for any offense provided in this definition includes a conviction for the offense under the laws of another state or federal law which is equivalent to an offense provided for in this Chapter.

(15)  "Sexual predator commission", the commission, means an advisory panel containing not less than two nor more than three physicians who are licensed to practice medicine in Louisiana, who have been in the actual practice of medicine for not less than three consecutive years immediately preceding the appointment, and who are qualified by training or experience in forensic evaluations of sex offenders.  The court may appoint, in lieu of one physician, a psychologist who is licensed to practice psychology in Louisiana, who has been engaged in the practice of clinical or counseling psychology for not less than three consecutive years immediately preceding the appointment, and who is qualified by training or experience in forensic evaluations of sex offenders.  A list of qualified physicians and psychologists shall be provided to the court by the Department of Health and Hospitals.

(16)  "Sexually violent predator" means a person who has been convicted of a sex offense as defined in Paragraph (14.1) of this Section and who has a mental abnormality or anti-social personality disorder that makes the person likely to engage in predatory sexually violent offenses as determined by the sentencing court upon receipt and review of relevant information including the recommendation of the sexual predator commission as defined in Paragraph (15) of this Section.

(17)  "The administration of criminal justice" means performance of any of the following activities: detection, apprehension, detention, pretrial release, post-trial release, prosecution, adjudication, correctional supervision, or rehabilitation of accused persons or criminal offenders.  The term also includes criminal identification activities, the collection, storage, and dissemination of criminal history record information, and the compensation of victims of crime.

(18)  "Institution of postsecondary education" means any public or private institution of postsecondary education in the state licensed by the Board of Regents under the provisions of R.S. 17:1808 or each proprietary school licensed by the Board of Regents under the provisions of R.S. 17:3141.4.

(19)  "Student at an institution of postsecondary education" means a person who is enrolled in and attends, on a full-time or part-time basis, any course of academic or vocational instruction conducted at an institution of postsecondary education.

(20)(a)  "Worker" means a person who engages in or who knows or reasonably should know that he will engage in any type of occupation, employment, work, or volunteer service on a full-time or part-time basis, with or without compensation, within this state for more than fourteen days, or for more than an aggregate period exceeding thirty days in a calendar year.

(b)  The term includes but is not limited to:

(i)  A person who is self-employed.

(ii)  An employee or independent contractor.

(iii)  A paid or unpaid intern, extern, aide, assistant, or volunteer.

(21)  "Residence" means a dwelling where a sex offender regularly resides, regardless of the number of days or nights spent there.

Acts 1992, No. 388, §1, eff. June 18, 1992; Acts 1997, No. 1147, §1, eff. July 14, 1997; Acts 1999, No. 594, §1; Acts 2001, No. 1206, §1; Acts 2003, No. 215, §1; Acts 2003, No. 574, §1; Acts 2003, No. 690, §2; Acts 2004, No. 147, §1; Acts 2004, No. 888, §2; Acts 2006, No. 186, §2, eff. June 2, 2006; Acts 2006, No. 204, §1.