Kim Kardashian West Freed Discussing Prison Reform with Trump

President Trump pardoned a prison inmate after persistent activism from Kim Kardashian West, who met with the President at the White House in D.C. in May.

Kardashian West met with President Trump to discuss the state of the prison system and to suggest reform for Alice Johnson, a federal prisoner who was serving an unfair life sentence for a first offense drug crime. Kardashian West initially found out about Johnson’s situation on Twitter, re-tweeting the news story that explained the harsh sentencing to her massive base of fans.

Assessment performed by corrections officer of inmate Johnson deemed that she was a model prisoner – Johnson was even ordained as a minister while serving her time. She was dedicated to rehabilitating herself while incarcerated.

Johnson admitted that she had a part in the drug scheme and made a terrible decision, citing that at the time she hadn’t been able to put food on the table for her family. Not only was this her first crime; but she had also been dealing with eviction, bankruptcy, and the loss of her youngest child.

Kardashian West explained that the process was not instant, and she had been working on freeing Johnson for seven months. She strongly believes that people deserve second chances and thinks there is still more work to be done, as 40% of incarcerated Americans are not considered a danger to public safety.

Through her efforts, Kardashian West is continuing to spread awareness of the unfair sentence and the futile state of the American prison system as it was initially set up in an attempt to discourage the use of drugs.

“Usually, the consequences for dealing drugs are based on the kind of drug, the amount sold, and the previous crimes committed,” stated David McKenzie, attorney and founder at McKenzie Law Firm. The fact that this was Johnson’s first offense, she had already served 21 years, and she actively worked to better herself and society while incarcerated all played a role in why Johnson was given a second chance.

Kardashian West was brave and determined in her attempts to give Johnson freedom, but she also brought attention to an important issue.

Prison reform is greatly needed as African American females are imprisoned at the rate two times more than white females, and African Americans are incarcerated for crimes that white Americans do not face imprisonment for.

Incarceration has expanded so much during the past 40 years because of the war on drugs and mandatory minimums; to be exact, the number of prisoners has increased by 500%. Another incentive to expedite prison reform should be the high cost that taxpayers shoulder – state prisons cost $45 billion and federal prison cost $144 million every year.

In fact, in a poll, the American public demonstrated support for criminal justice rehabilitation systems instead of focusing mainly on imprisonment and punishment. Modifications such as decreasing sentences for nonviolent lawbreakers are also generally favorable among political parties.