Karen Friedman currently serves as senior judge for the Maryland Judiciary and as special counsel for justice innovations for the New York State Judiciary. From January 2022 to January 2025, Friedman served as the director of criminal justice innovation, development, and engagement for the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs. She previously served over 20 years as a member of the Maryland Judiciary sitting in Baltimore. In that capacity, she served on every level of trial court and completed her service on the Baltimore City Circuit Court, the highest trial court in the state. She headed Baltimore’s drug treatment court and sat on the judiciary’s Equal Justice Commission’s sentencing subcommittee. Friedman is known in Baltimore for her expertise on the intersection of criminal justice with behavioral health as well as for her innovative approach to sentencing and probation.
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