EVENT: Shared Mistakes: Societies Address Mass Incarceration, the Death Penalty and Extrajudicial Killings

Shared Mistakes: Societies Address Mass Incarceration,
the Death Penalty and Extrajudicial Killings

side event at the 68th session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs

in-person: March 11, 4:30-5:00pm CET, Room M0E05, Vienna International Center

Zoom (with optional registration): https://bit.ly/sharedmistakes

Zoom (direct meeting access): https://bit.ly/sharedmistakes-noreg or https://stopthedrugwar.org/ruleoflaw

speakers:

Father Albert Alejo SJ, Faculty of Social Sciences, Pontifical Gregorian University
Kemba Smith-Pradia, Kemba Smith Foundation (see bio below)
Jiavern Tham, Project Officer, HAYAT

reaction from: Alison Smith, Legal Counsel and International Justice Director, No Peace Without Justice

moderator: David Borden, Executive Director, DRCNet Foundation AKA StoptheDrugWar.org

Across the world, many countries have imposed draconian legal sanctions, and sometimes illegal sanctions, in response to real or alleged drug law violations. "Shared Mistakes" will focus on the issues of mass incarceration, the death penalty, and extrajudicial killings, with speakers from Malaysia, the Philippines and United States discussing the policies and achieved or hoped-for reforms.

"Shared Mistakes" is organized by DRCNet Foundation AKA StoptheDrugWar.org, with Associazone Luca Coscioni, Drug Policy Alliance, European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies, Forum Droghe, HAYAT and No Peace Without Justice.

Please contact David Borden at +1 202-236-8620 or [email protected] for further information. Visit https://stopthedrugwar.org/ruleoflaw and https://stopthedrugwar.org/global to read about our international programs.

Kemba Smith Pradia went from college student to drug dealer's girlfriend to domestic violence victim and in 1994 she was sentenced to 24 1/2 years in federal prison. Kemba's case drew support from across the nation.

Often labeled the "poster child" for reversing a disturbing trend in the rise of lengthy sentences for first-time, non-violent drug offenders, Kemba's story was featured on a variety of television shows and in several publications. The support prompted then President Clinton to commute her sentence in December 2000, after having served 6 1/2 years in prison.

Today, Kemba is a wife, mother, public speaker, advocate, consultant, and author of Poster Child. She has worked with senior officials at The White House, the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Members of Congress, and has led trainings for Federal and State Probation organizations across the country. Corporations such as Verizon, Travelers Foundation, Proctor and Gamble, Bank of America and Gulfstream have sponsored her speaking at events across the country. She has received numerous awards and recognitions for her courage and determination as a motivational speaker and advocate.

In 2019, Kemba was appointed to the Virginia Parole Board by Governor Ralph Northam and served for over two years. In January 2022, she involuntarily separated from the State due to the transition of a new gubernatorial administration. Prior to her appointment, she served on the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission and held the position of State Advocacy Campaigns Director with the ACLU of Virginia.

Currently, Kemba is an entrepreneur and consultant. She continues to serve on the Board of Directors for Virginia CARES and Drug Policy Alliance. She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the NAACP, the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice, and Co-convener of the Justice Roundtable.

Along with being an advocate for criminal justice reform, Kemba is the founder of her 501 (c) 3, The Kemba Smith Foundation. Ultimately, Kemba knows that there is a lesson in each experience in life, and she has embraced her experience, learned from it, and is now using that experience to teach others.

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