Earlier this month President Trump pardoned Alice Johnson who served over 20 years in prison for drug-related charges. Advocates fighting for prison reform had hoped this would happen as Johnson had become a model prisoner over the two decades.
The 64-year-old was sentenced to life in prison for participating in a cocaine ring that was busted. Despite the fact that it was her first offense and it was non-violent she received this life-sentence. During the Obama administration, Johnson appealed for a presidential pardon but nothing happened.
Then Kim Kardashian became an advocate for Johnson. After months of advocating for Alice Johnson’s release, Kardashian arrived at the White House on May 30th and met with President Trump, his senior adviser Jared Kushner, and other administration officials.
Just one week later a statement was issued from the White House confirming that although Johnson would not receive a full pardon, she would be granted clemency and be released from prison.
A second chance
Watch Alice’s reunion with her family in the Daily Mail video above. “God has given me a second chance and my heart is just bursting,” she told reporters on her release, overjoyed to be surrounded by her family, including new members. “I won’t waste this second chance, so that others may one day have a second chance,”
“So grateful to @realDonaldTrump, Jared Kushner & to everyone who has shown compassion & contributed countless hours to this important moment for Ms. Alice Marie Johnson,” Kardashian tweeted. “Her commutation is inspirational & gives hope to so many others who are also deserving of a second chance. 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.”
Johnson and Kardashian got to meet for the first time shortly after the release from prison and during that meeting they joyfully recalled that it was Kardashian that first got to break the news to Johnson.
“I believe she said, ‘You can go home now. Are you ready to go home?’ When she said that I went into fully-fledged Pentecostal holy dance… I was dancing, I was jumping, I was screaming!”
Prison reform advocates across the country are hoping that this will be the first step in a long wave of reform they hope the Trump administration will be able to carry out. In the pardoning statement released by the White House, it certainly seems like the President is ready to make some changes.
“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.”
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