Kim Kardashian West Declares War on Mass Incarceration
Nationally known actress, fashionista and activist Kim Kardashian West has two new loves. One of them is the law and the other is a burning desire to help society’s lowest esteemed class, its convicted criminals.
Kardashian, the wife of rapper Kanye West, has recently completed a one-year legal study and apprenticeship. Later this year she will take what is called the “baby bar.” If she clears that hurdle, Kardashian will be able to enter into another three years of studying the law and then be able to take the regular state bar exam.
Her particular area of concern is the mass incarceration of U.S. citizens, which numbers around 2.2 million people and is proportionally higher than any other country in the world.
One of the recent causes she successfully tackled was the case of Alice Marie Johnson, who received a 25-year prison term on a first-time non-violent drug offense. She became so passionate about Johnson, a great grandmother, that she went to visit President Donald Trump at the White House. President Trump favorably responded to Kardashian’s entreaty and granted Johnson clemency in 2018. She had served 21 years in prison.
In a direct attack on mass incarceration, Kardashian has partnered with Oxygen in order to produce a two-hour-long documentary titled Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project.
She not only acts in the starring role but is the executive producer as well. She has repeatedly characterized the U.S. justice system as “broken.” Kardashian is hoping to “put faces to the numbers and statistics,” which “represent the millions of people impacted by this broken justice system,” she stated.
The documentary revolves around four cases. One features a sex trafficking victim and another a battered woman who finally killed the family member who was victimizing her. It is scheduled for broadcast on April 5, 2020.
Visits to the prisons to interview the four subjects are intricately woven into the story-type format of the documentary. Interviews with those prisoners’ families, friends, public officials and attorneys will be incorporated as well. The documentary is intended to offer a well-rounded, informative view of the criminal justice system and raise concerns about America’s mass incarceration problem.
Source: variety.com, bustle.com
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