Karen Friedman is Director of Criminal Justice Innovation, Development, and Engagement at the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). Karen served for 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. Karen 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.