Kemba Smith and Mandatory Minimum Drug Sentencing

When will justice be served and the punishment fit the crime? Those questions are being asked by the parents of 28-year-old Kemba Smith, a casualty of this country’s war on drugs and what many believe are unjust federal drug sentencing laws. Kemba, a first-time offender, is serving nearly 25 years in federal prison on charges stemming from an abusive relationship with a reputed drug dealer. National media have covered Kemba’s case over the past few years, beginning with a cover story in the May 1996 edition of Emerge magazine.


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