Kim Kardashian West meets with Oklahoma death-row inmate in push for criminal justice reform

Kim Kardashian West traveled to Oklahoma to visit death row inmate Julius Jones on Monday, according to a press release, the reality TV star’s latest effort calling for criminal justice reform.

Kardashian West met with the Oklahoma State Penitentiary inmate, convicted of shooting a white businessman in 1999, along with his lawyer Dale Baich. Jones was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2002 and was sentenced to death, but has maintained his innocence throughout his time on death row, according to Fox News.

She also met with Jones’s family at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Oklahoma City to further discuss his case.

Kardashian West, a prison reform advocate, has worked to commute the sentences of various inmates in recent years, including Alice Marie Johnson, who was granted clemency by President Trump in 2018. She’s currently studying to obtain her law degree, using her celebrity in the meantime to help those who may have been wrongfully convicted or unjustly sentenced.

Kardashian West reportedly became interested in Jones’s plea after watching the “The Last Defense,” a documentary that explores cases including his. Claims presented in the series support Jones’s assertion of innocence, including allegations of secret plea deals and jury racism.

A Change.org petition calling on the state’s Pardon and Parole Board and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) to commute Jones’s sentence has been signed by more than 6 million people.

{mossecondads}{mossecondads}

.@KimKardashian visited Julius Jones on death row in McAlester today before meeting with his family at Tabernacle Baptist Church in OKC. Read more here https://t.co/DJdtVlmBM9 #JusticeforJulius pic.twitter.com/hduPdiOyxp

— Alex Weintz (@AlexWeintz) November 24, 2020