Kim Kardashian West: Keeping up with True Crime?
- Kendall Ann
- Apr 10, 2020
- 6 min read
Reality shows and true crime are not something we usually see together. Reality star, Kim Kardashian West has decided to use her celebrity status to enter the word of criminal justice reform and become an advocate for the growing issue of mass incarceration in the United States. Oxygen network teamed up with Kim to present a two hour documentary this past Sunday night. I had seen commercials for the upcoming special entitled "Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project" for the last few weeks and I knew this was something I wanted to watch. I have never watched Keeping Up with the Kardashians but knew there were plenty of people that judge the family and have certain opinions because of it. I have always tried to remind myself that reality stars and celebrities are people to. They have feelings like I do, they eat and sleep like I do and they have certain passions in life just like I do. I was intrigued that a reality star like Kim Kardashian West was entering the world of true crime.
About The Documentary
The documentary beings with Kim discussing what lead her to become passionate about criminal justice reform work. She began following the story of Alice Johnson after learning the dynamics of her case through Twitter. Alice was serving a life in prison (plus 25 years) sentence for being a phone mule for a drug dealing operation. Alice, who was serving the same sentence as someone who had committed murder, was a first time non-violent offender. Many attorneys have spent years trying to get Alice released from prison and they knew the only way for this to happen was to get the President of the United States to grant her clemency. Kim tracked down Alice's team of attorneys and told them she wanted to help. Kim visited the White House and meet with President Donald Trump in regards to granting Alice clemency. One week later, her clemency was granted and after 21 years in prison Alice was able to return to her family.
As the documentary continues we hear that Kim is now passionate about helping others in Alice's situation. She is now studying for the bar and continues to work with a program named #Cut50 which is a bipartisan effort to cut crime and incarceration across all 50 states. We then hear the story of a women named Dawn Jackson, who was sent to prison for killing her step-grandfather who had been molesting and sexually assaulting her for over 20 years, starting at age 5. Dawn's past history or rape and sexual assault was never mentioned in court. Kim and the Cut50 team believe Dawn received an unfair trail and they are still fighting for her release.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union there are currently 2,570 juveniles who have been sentenced to life without parole in the US.
The story of Alexis Martin was one of the most interesting cases discussed in the documentary. Alexis was 15 years old when she was arrested for murder. Alexis was tried as an adult and sent to prison for the rest of her life. Alexis did not have a typical childhood, she was in 13 different schools, experimented with hard drugs and was eventually sex trafficked by one of the only "father" figures she had ever had in her life. Kim meet with Alexis inside an Ohio prison to hear Alexis's story. The story that Alexis tells Kim is hard to listen to and extremely heartbreaking. Alexis was convicted for the murder of the man who was trafficking her, despite the fact he had sold her to his brother for sex moments before he was robbed and killed. Alexis did not pull the trigger that killed this man. Kim writes a letter in favor of Alexis's release after meeting with her. Alexis is still waiting on the results of her clemency hearing.
Kim also visits a juvenile lifer in a Washington D.C prison named Momolu Stewart. Momolu was sentenced to life in prison at the age of 16 for murder. He has spent over 20 years in prison repenting for his actions and attempting to change. He has become a mentor for those entering prison under the same circumstances as his. A friend of Momolu was also convicted for his involvement in the same murder. His friend was released after serving only 7 years of his sentence, while Momolu still sat behind bars. With the help of many people and a letter written on his behalf from Kim, he was released in 2019.
Towards the end of the documentary we see Kim meet with the Lt. Governor of Pennsylvania in order to discuss the release of David Sheppard. First we learn the story of George Trudel who was sentenced to life but later had his sentence commuted. George was sentenced for murder, despite the fact he killed no one. His case brings up the concern of mandatory sentences within the Pennsylvania justice system. George did receive clemency from Governor Wolff (PA) and was released back to his family. After being released he began fighting for his friend David who was imprisoned under the same circumstances as he was. Kim, George and his friend sit down with the Lt. Governor and discuss the issue of "second degree felony murder". David attended a clemency hearing, and was granted release after over 30 years in prison.
"Juvenile Lifer" : some one under the age of 18 who is sentenced to spend their life in prison without the possibility of release, also know as Juvenile Life Without Parole (JLWOP)
Through out the documentary Kim speaks to the people she is attempting to help on the phone and even travels inside the walls of state prisons to meet with these offenders. She seems to take a hands on approach to helping these men and women. We hear from family members and friends of the offenders along with the lawyers from Cut50 that Kim is working with. We learn that along with working on individual cases, Kim has gotten involved with the First Step Act and due to her efforts over 7,000 people have been able to return to loved ones.
My Review
Let me start by saying, I personally would be supporting this documentary weather Kim was "hosting" it or not. The issues brought to light in this two hour special are real and show that something needs to change within our criminal justice system. Kim, along with many others believe that people do deserve a second chance and that this should even be extended to those who have been sentenced to prison. Some people are capable of change and want to better there life and leave their past in the past.
I believe that Kim deserves some credit for being able to enter a prison and talk with offenders who have committed serious crimes. I know personally that this is not easily done. It can be extremely stressful and nerve racking entering a prison knowing the doors will lock behind you. Kim is one of the first celebrities to take a stance and involve themselves in the world of criminal justice. For this, I have gained a-lot of respect for her. Do I think she is the "poster child" for criminal justice reform, No. However, she is doing it, and for that she has my support in her fight for justice.
We praise celebrities when they donate money to charities or bring food to those who are hungry. Kim is the first celebrity to take on the issue of criminal justice reform and for that I applaud her, and would applaud anyone who steps up to take on an issue that is dear to my own heart. I hope that others like Kim will begin to fight for reform and to change our countries criminal justice system.
What Others Are Saying
I am in many true crime groups across different social media platforms and I was upset to see that the majority of people had a negative reaction or refused to watch this documentary because it involved Kim. Although I had no direct negative comments on a tweet I had posted using the documentary hashtag there were many negative comments on it after Kim herself retweeted it. I hope that others can start to look past Kim's reality show life and see that her heart is in the right place and that we have major issues in our justice system.
PLEASE remember that this documentary is not about Kim Kardashian West, it is about the issues we are facing in our criminal justice system and the mass incarceration happening throughout our country.
Full episode of Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project can be found on oxygen.com or YouTube!
For more information about the #Cut50 initiative, check out the link below!
Twitter: @kendalljordan5
Instagram: @kendalljordan12
Comments