Kim Kardashian has quietly helped free 17 prisoners over the past three months using a legal team that targets inmates who have already served years of life sentences without parole.
The efforts have been made possible following the passage of the First Step Act, which Donald Trump signed into law last year — a bill that Kardashian advocated for in the White House.
Among those who have been freed due to Karashian’s efforts include Alice Mare Johnson, a 63-year-old grandmother who had been serving a life in prison for a nonviolent drug offense.
Ms Johnson was granted clemency by the president after her case was brought to the attention of White House adviser Jared Kushner.
Kardashian, following the White House’s decision on Ms Johnson’s case, has continued to advocate for inmates serving similarly harsh sentences, and is now reportedly studying to become a lawyer.
TMZ, which first reported the issue, says that Kardashian has hired Brittany Barnett, a Dallas-based attorney, to take on the cases of the inmates. MiAngel Cody, of the Decarceration Collective, is also working on the effort.
In a recent interview with Vogue, Kardashian said that “it’s never one person who gets things done; it’s always a collective of people, and I’ve always known my role, but I just felt like I wanted to be able to fight for people who have paid their dues to society.”
