Kim Kardashian Succeeds In Mission To Free Alice Johnson

White House

Kim Kardashian West has succeeded in her mission to help free imprisoned Alice Marie Johnson, with President Donald Trump granting the grandmother clemency.

62-year-old Alice will reportedly soon be released from Alabama’s Aliceville Correctional Facility, after which she will go straight home to be reunited with her family.

Kim met with President Trump at the White House a week prior to this release, where they discussed prison reform and Alice’s specific case.

Kim’s attorney, Shawn Holley, had assembled a legal team for Alice which had been paid for by the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star.

Alice was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole back in 1997 on charges of money laundering and drug conspiracy charges. These were her first offences.

Although Alice met the criteria for former President Barack Obama’s Clemency Project 2014, she was turned down for release mere days before his term finished.

Kim was instrumental in raising awareness of Alice’s story, joining the campaign for Alice’s freedom led by the Can-Do foundation, friends and family.

Alice sent the reality star an emotional thank you note which read:

Ms. Kardashian you are literally helping to save my life and restore me to my family. I was drowning and you have thrown me a life jacket and given me hope.

Speaking with Mic about Alice’s situation prior to the clemency being granted, Kim said:

If you think about a decision that you’ve made in your life and you get life without the possibility of parole for your first-time nonviolent offense, there’s just something so wrong with that.

Alice told Mic:

I couldn’t find a job fast enough to take care of my family. I felt like a failure.

I went to a complete panic and out of desperation, I made one of the worst decisions of my life to make some quick money. I became involved in a drug conspiracy.

In a statement, the White House said:

Ms. Johnson has accepted responsibility for her past behavior and has been a model prisoner over the past two decades,

While this Administration will always be very tough on crime, it believes that those who have paid their debt to society and worked hard to better themselves while in prison deserve a second chance.

Kim appeared delighted by the news of the clemency being granted, tweeting:

BEST NEWS EVER!!!!

She later tweeted:

I hope to continue this important work by working together with organizations who have been fighting this fight for much longer than I have and deserve the recognition.

According to NBC News, a White House official has stated how dozens of pardons have been prepared for President Trump to consider.

However, the official did not disclose the names or offences of prisoners who were being considered.

It is truly cheering to see a celebrity using their enormous platform to push for issues they believe in. Keep up the good work, Kim!

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Julia Banim

Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.