Kim Kardashian. Picture: AFP
President Donald Trump has commuted the life sentence of Alice Marie Johnson (63) after reality TV star Kim Kardashian lobbied him last week to do so.
Johnson has spent more than 21 years in prison as part of a life sentence for helping lead a multimillion-dollar cocaine ring from 1991 to 1994.
A plea to President Barack Obama for clemency while he was still president failed.
Kardashian learnt of the case through a video that went viral, and visited the White House to bring it to the attention of the president. After his meeting with the TV star in the Oval, Trump tweeted: “Great meeting with @KimKardashian today, talked about prison reform and sentencing.”
The decision for clemency was also advocated by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and his daughter Ivanka.
Alice Marie Johnson. Image: Can-Do/AFP
In the video that captured Kardashian’s attention, Johnson calls on America to stop “over-incarcerating its citizens”.
She said she had been sentenced to life without the option of parole. Her time in prison had been like “an unexecuted sentence of death”.
Presidential clemency was the only other option open to her, yet although she satisfied all the criteria, such as 100% clear conduct in prison, even this had been denied her.
She conceded that becoming involved in a drug conspiracy to look after her family after she had fallen on hard times was one of the worst decisions of her life.
Her 21 years in jail meant “I missed the birth of my grandchildren, being able to be in their life”.
“I just had a great-grandson, I missed that. Both of my parents passed away. I was not able to be by either of their sides in their final days,” she said.
Unlike a pardon, the commutation won’t erase her conviction, but it does end her sentence.
“Ms Johnson has accepted responsibility for her past behaviour, and has been a model prisoner for the past two decades,” the White House announcement said.
“Despite receiving a life sentence, Alice worked hard to rehabilitate herself in prison, and act as a mentor to fellow inmates.
“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.”
Following Trump’s decision, Kardashian tweeted: “The phone call I just had with Alice will forever be one of my best memories. Telling her for the first time and hearing her screams while crying together, is a moment I will never forget.”
She also wrote: “So grateful to @realDonaldTrump, Jared Kushner and everyone who showed compassion and contributed countless hours to this important moment for Ms Alice Johnson. Her commutation is inspirational and gives hope to so may others who are also deserving a second chance.”
“I hope to continue this important work by working together with organisations who have been fighting this fight for much longer than I have and deserve the recognition.”
The commutation plays itself out against a larger debate raging in the US about issues such long sentences, racial disparities and how effective punitive incarceration is – not to mention Trump’s vow to “execute” drug dealers and the apparently random nature of some of his recent pardons.
Not all Americans share the reality star’s zeal about Johnson’s release. “Trump wants to execute drug dealers. But he granted commutation to one because Kim Kardashian asked,” one headline read.
– AFP
