During his final days in office, former President Joe Biden set a record for the most pardons and sentence commutations of any president.
Biden’s pardon list of over 2,500 individuals serving excessively lengthy sentences for drug offenses included Kemba Smith Pradia, who was found guilty of a non-violent drug offense in 1994 and given a 24.5-year jail sentence.
Biden’s pardon now restores Smith’s right to vote, hold state or local office, and serve on a jury. In an Instagram statement, Smith expressed gratitude to Biden for granting her a second opportunity.
“Today, I dropped to my knees, thanking God for this moment. I am overwhelmed with gratitude and humbled by the news that I have been granted a full pardon by President Joe BidenThis incredible act of grace not only expunges my criminal record and restores my rights but also reaffirms the belief that our past does not define our future.”
According to the Legal Defense Fund, Smith was charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine because she was involved in an abusive relationship with a drug dealer, even though she never used or sold drugs herself. Smith did, however, serve little over six years of that sentence when President Bill Clinton commuted it on December 22, 2000. Her case had at the time attracted nationwide attention and been featured on a variety of television shows and in several publications.
Through the Kemba Smith Foundation, Smith has dedicated her life since her release to helping victims of domestic abuse and advocating for civil rights and criminal justice concerns.
According to WRIC, Smith has worked with nationally recognized civil rights and criminal justice organizations, as well as testified before Congress and the United Nations.
Smith joined the Virginia Parole Board and Virginia Sentencing Commission in 2019, according to the White House.
Smith’s story has also been adapted into a film, “KEMBA,” which can be watched on BET+.
Smith is currently a mother, wife, author, advocate, public speaker, and consultant. According to JLUSA, she was often labeled the “poster child” for “reversing a disturbing trend in the rise of lengthy sentences for first-time, non-violent drug offenders.”
READ ALSO: Biden posthumously pardons Marcus Garvey, issues additional clemency actions
