Kim Kardashian has shed more light on her passion for prison reform. While Kim has previously credited her late father, Robert Kardashian, for inspiring her to pursue law, she recently opened up about another reason why prison reform work means so much to her. On the March 27 episode of The Kardashians, Kim visited a group of inmates in California.
While meeting with incarcerated firefighters, Kim recalled a prison visit that changed her perspective.
On the episode, Kim met with a group of incarcerated men who are part of a program in which they fight wildfires to expunge their criminal records. She also brought Kendall Jenner, Scott Disick, and Olivia Pierson along with her. While speaking to the incarcerated firefighters, Kim recalled a realization she had when visiting a prison in the past.
During the prison visit, an incarcerated woman reportedly said, “My boyfriend had me go get drugs or pick something up at this apartment and I didn’t know some s— was going to go down and someone died,” the Daily Mail reported.
Hearing that story reminded Kim of an experience that she had when she was a teenager. However, because of the privileged background she comes from, Kim assumed that her dad would’ve helped her if she had ended up in a situation like that. Not everyone is so lucky, she realized.
Kim spoke up about her own experience with drugs.
When the incarcerated woman told Kim about how she went to pick up drugs for her boyfriend, Kim remembered that she did something similar as a teenager. “One time, my friend had me go pick up ecstasy at this apartment and like, what if something happened?” she said, per People.
But Kim had someone to call in the event that something happened. She realized that many people don’t have that. “I thought to myself, seriously, if some s— went down, I would’ve been able to call my dad and he would’ve helped me,” Kim said. “And these people didn’t have that. I really thought to myself, ‘This is just so crazy, these people need help.'”
Kendall started laughing.
As Kim told this story about her passion for prison reform, Kendall laughed. To her, it seemed like an Elle Woods moment, as Kim was talking about her experience with drugs in front of authorities. “I saw the officer like a few people over from [Kim] basically be like [face palm],” Kendall said during a confessional, per People. “It was so Legally Blonde.”
Kim’s passion for prison reform comes from her dad, but prison visits inspire her to keep going.
During a confessional, Kim shared more details about her prison reform work. “I think my passion for prison reform really kind of got sparked with my dad,” she said, per The Independent. “And all of the giving back that he would do and just all the places he would take us to help other people. My dad resonates through all of that and I always feel his energy every time I do something like this.”
However, it is her interactions with inmates that motivate her to keep going. “I think every time I do a trip like this, it really just is that battery in my back to keep going,” she said. “And to keep fighting for the guys inside and to wanna finish law school and to just keep doing what I’m doing.”
Kim also spoke highly of rehabilitation programs. “I really love highlighting these rehabilitation programs,” she said. “Ultimately, we want to feel really safe in our society, and putting money and attention into all of these skills that these men can learn, I think is an important part of this process.”
When Kim visited the fire camp in August, she also posted about it on social media.
“Yesterday I had the amazing opportunity to spend some time with the guys at Pine Grove youth firecamp, and Growlersberg Firecamp Crew 3 and 5,” Kim wrote at the time. “These incredible men are incarcerated firefighters saving our state, homes and communities from fire.”
Several people, including Malika Haqq and Lauren Sanchez, praised Kim for her advocacy efforts. “What having a heart for others looks like,” Malika commented on the post. Lauren wrote, “Love all you do!!!!!”
