“America is a Nation of second chances, and it is critical that our criminal and juvenile justice systems provide meaningful opportunities for rehabilitation and redemption.”
– White House Proclamation of April as Second Chance Month
As an advocacy coalition, Kentucky Smart on Crime believes strongly in the power of lived experience in discussions with lawmakers and the public. People and family that have experienced incarceration can inspire change in our justice system because they themselves are an example of personal change.
No one embodies this better than Kungu Njuguna, policy strategist for ACLU of KY and informal facilitator of the Smart on Crime Coalition.
After graduating law school, Kungu was hired by the Jefferson County Attorney’s office as an assistant county attorney, serving in an important role in the civil division while also liaising with Louisville Metro Council. Like many justice-involved individuals, substance use disorder derailed best laid plans. The alcohol-related offenses piled up, and he resigned from the County Attorney’s Office. As things spiraled downward, Kungu moved to drugs. Eventually, Kungu would find himself unable to pay court fines and in jail for 90 days. Upon release, sobriety eluded him, his life was unmanageable, and his housing situation unstable, until he found The Healing Place in Louisville in 2016.
After completing the program, Kungu faced the near-impossible task of reentering the legal profession. An old colleague took a chance on him, hiring to clerk at a small firm, and after close to three years of sobriety, the firm put up the money necessary for Kungu to go through the slow process of reobtaining his law license.
Kungu volunteered his time as one of the first Smart Justice Advocates for ACLU, sharing his story of hope and dignity with public panels and legislators in Frankfort to help them to understand the need for policy changes in the justice system. Along with sponsoring individuals in sobriety, Kungu found his calling in advocacy and joined ACLU as policy strategist in 2021. Kungu convenes the Kentucky Smart on Crime coalition to help set legislative priorities among a diverse group of stakeholder groups.
“When I meet with elected officials, it’s personal to me. It’s coming from a place of honesty. I’m vulnerable and upfront,” said Njuguna. “I seek to humanize those of us in recovery to advocate for change. Every person in active addiction could find sobriety if we give them an opportunity like I was afforded”
Access to these opportunities is foundational to the mission of Smart on Crime. The coalition works to make employment, education, and healthcare more accessible.
“As an attorney with lived experience with the system, Kungu is a strong advocate for and a perfect example of why everyone deserves a second chance,” said Jason Hall of Catholic Conference of Kentucky, another Smart on Crime partner organization. “Mercy, grace, and redemption is for everyone.”