Criminal Law - Child Pornography - Prohibitions and Penalties

SB 545 amends Maryland's criminal code to prohibit possessing or viewing images depicting minors in sexual conduct, sadomasochistic abuse, or sexual excitement - whether actual or computer-generated images that appear indistinguishable from real children under 16. It specifically targets material that looks like real children (excluding drawings, cartoons, sculptures, or paintings) and adds penalties: up to 5 years for first-time possession/viewing (misdemeanor) and up to 10 years for repeat offenses (felony). The bill includes exceptions for parents possessing non-exploitative images of their own children and allows a defense if someone destroys the material or reports it to police. These changes update sections 11-207, 11-208, and add new section 11-208.2 to the Maryland Annotated Code.