Kim Kardashian West went to the White House to discuss prison reform with Donald Trump, as well as her request to have Alice Marie Johnson pardoned. Johnson is a 62 year old great grandmother who was convicted in 1996 due to her involvement in a first-time nonviolent drug offense. She was sentenced to life in prison without parole. After losing her job at FedEx, she began selling drugs to make ends meet in order to support her family. Johnson had served 21 years in prison when her video was posted on Facebook in October of 2017. This video gained millions of views and it got the attention of Kim Kardashian West. After hearing what Kardashian West had to say about Johnson’s case, Trump granted clemency to Johnson after her 63rd birthday, giving her a chance to get out of prison without parole. Johnson’s case continues to raise awareness, as there are many prisoners in our country who committed the same crime as Johnson but are not even given a chance of parole.

Being a celebrity, Kardashian West gained a lot of media attention for her involvement in Johnson’s case. The power of being a celebrity is strong, as it can bring a voice to those who cannot make their voice heard. Kardashian West’s voice allowed action to be taken.

Having Kardashian West make this topic more prevalent helps end the injustice that is happening in the judicial system. Prison reform is not something new. Many prisoners are receiving extreme sentences such as life in prison or even the death penalty when they didn’t commit a large crime. Kardashian West brought public attention to this issue by speaking out about Johnson’s case. By fighting for this case ever since she viewed the video, Kardashian West clearly made this fight a priority.

There are two conflicting sides when it comes to prison reform. Conservatives don’t want to give up the death penalty, claiming that lessening the extent of certain punishments would result in more crimes being committed. Conservatives believe that strict punishments will keep everyone safe. On the other hand, liberals would like to reduce the extent of punishments. They believe that everyone should be given the opportunity to have a second chance, so they want the death penalty to be abolished.

Today’s media is helping younger generations learn more about political issues. People are able to use their voice on social media to raise awareness on a variety of different issues. Social media is great tool to use in order to make your voice heard.