Daughter is overjoyed as she is set to be reunited with her father after he spent 22 years in prison for a minor drug offense before criminal justice reform activist Kim Kardashian campaigned to have him freed
- Jeffrey Stringer, 47, has spent more than two decades behind bars in Florida after being convicted of nonviolent drug offenses in the late 1990s
- A judge ruled Friday he should be released under the First Step Act, which was signed into law last year and allows offenders to earn credits for good behavior
- Jeffrey's daughter Jacaria Stringer said: 'I never even thought I'd get to see him out of prison, so it feels good'
- Kim Kardashian West, an advocate for prison reform, helped fund Jeffrey's case
- She called the family to congratulate them after Friday's ruling was issued
- Last month Kim offered to pay the rent of former inmate Matthew Charles for five years after she learned he was struggling to find housing
- She also fought for the pardon of Alice Marie Johnson, who spent 21 years in prison for a non-violent drug offense
- It was Johnson's case that helped spark Kim's interest in law and helped her decide to pursue becoming a lawyer
Jacaria Stringer, whose father has spent the last 22 years behind bars for nonviolent drug offenses, will finally be able to meet him outside the confines of a Florida prison thanks to help from Kim Kardashian
A woman whose father has spent the last 22 years behind bars for nonviolent drug offenses will finally be able to meet him outside the confines of a Florida prison thanks to help from Kim Kardashian.
'I never even thought I'd get to see him out of prison, so it feels good,' Jacaria Stringer told NBC News on Friday after a judge ruled that her father, 47-year-old Jeffrey Stringer, should be released from prison.
Jeffrey was arrested and charged with manufacturing and intent to distribute cocaine in West Palm Beach in the late 1990s. He was sentenced to life in prison because he had two prior convictions on his record.
The case gained national attention as the convict was highlighted as an example of a nonviolent drug offender who faced an unfairly strict sentence based on rigid federal guidelines.
Now Jeffrey and many other convicts are getting relief under new guidelines signed into law last year by President Donald Trump.
The First Step Act allows some nonviolent offenders to earn credits for good behavior and thus an early release.
Jeffrey Stringer was arrested and charged with manufacturing and intent to distribute cocaine in West Palm Beach in the late 1990s. He was sentenced to life in prison because he had two prior convictions on his record. The now-47-year-old is seen in an old photo with his daughter
'I never even thought I'd get to see him out of prison, so it feels good,' Jacaria said after a judge ruled that her father should be released from prison under the First Step Act signed by President Donald Trump last year. She and are father are seen with family in the photo above
Kim Kardashian West, a passionate advocate for criminal justice reform, helped fund Jeffrey's case so he could go home to his family.
She called the overjoyed family on FaceTime to congratulate them after the ruling was issued.
'We did it again! Had the best call with this lovely family and my attorney @msbkb, who just won the release for their loved one Jeffrey in Miami,' she wrote on Twitter, tagging Dallas-based attorney Brittany K Barnett.
'He served 22 years of life sentence for low level drug case. He served too much time but it gives me so much joy to fund this life saving work.'
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Barnett retweeted Kim's post, calling it 'such an amazing day'.
'Jeffrey should never have been sentenced to life in this case. Period,' she continued. 'America's addiction to incarceration devastates entire families.'
'So happy Jeffrey will be reunited with his family after 22 years! His life was saved today!'
Officials are still working out a release date based on Jeffrey's good behavior credits.
Barnett said her office's calculations indicate that he should get out late Monday or early Tuesday, while the Bureau of Prisons has said that he will be released on June 30.
'It's complicated,' Barnett told NBC News on Monday. 'Essentially, when you have a life sentence, it's life, you don't accrue good time credit. Now that the life is off, the prison is calculating good time. It's a complex process. We are working on it now.'
Kim Kardashian West helped fund Jeffrey's case and congratulated him on Friday after a judge ruled in his favor
Jeffrey's attorney Brittany K Barnett retweeted Kim's post, calling it 'such an amazing day'
Kim said she spoke with Jeffrey's family (above) via FaceTime on Friday
Kim (left) is an advocate of prison reform. Barnett (right) is the co-founder of the Buried Alive Project, which works to end life without parole sentences issued under federal drug laws
The news comes just a month after it was revealed that Kim had offered to pay the rent of Matthew Charles, a former inmate who was released from prison after serving 20 years of his 35-year sentence for non-violent drug and weapon charges.
Kim privately reached out to Charles after she heard he was struggling to find housing because his background prompted all his applications to be denied.
She offered to pay his rent for the next five years.
'I just received the most wonderful news tonight that I just had to share with everyone. Kim Kardashian-West heard about my situation. Was moved and has decided to help me,' Charles posted on his Facebook in March.
'Kim did not do this for attention or publicity, but I had to share it, because it's too good not to, and my heart is about to burst with happiness, that I wish you to rejoice in this news with me.'
'God is good! What the devil meant for bad, god reversed again, for my good. Now that I'm free, my heart is enlarged.'
Charles was first sentenced to 35 years in prison in 1996 for drug trafficking before he was briefly released in 2016 due to the Fair Sentencing Act.
However, Charles was forced to return to prison last year after an appeals court overturned a judge's initial ruling. He was released on January 3 as a part of President Donald Trump's First Step Act.
Kim is clearly passionate about criminal justice and made headlines after her campaign to free Alice Marie Johnson, 63, proved successful in June last year.
The reality star successfully campaigned for Johnson to be pardoned by Trump after the Tennessee grandmother spent 21 years in prison for a non-violent drug offense.
It was Johnson's case that sparked Kim's fascination with the law and helped her decide to become a lawyer, a career path that has shocked many.
Kim is clearly passionate about criminal justice and made headlines after her campaign to free Alice Marie Johnson, 63, (above together) proved successful in June last year
The news comes just a month after it was revealed that Kim had offered to pay the rent of Matthew Charles, a former inmate who was released from prison after serving 20 years of his 35 sentence for non-violent drug and weapon charges. He is pictured here with Trump in April
'I had to think long and hard about this,' she told Vogue for its May issue.
'I just felt like I wanted to be able to fight for people who have paid their dues to society. I just felt like the system could be so different, and I wanted to fight to fix it, and if I knew more, I could do more.'
Johnson was sentenced to life in prison in 1997 for committing a first-time nonviolent drug crime in Memphis. Kim first heard about her story from Twitter, and she knew something had to change.
Kim met with President Donald Trump at the White House in May to discuss the case. The following month, he pardoned Johnson.
The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star has since registered with the California State Bar to study law.
Kim met with President Donald Trump at the White House in May to discuss Johnson's case. The following month, he pardoned the Tennessee grandmother
Kim is currently working with CNN's Van Jones and #Cut50 co-founder and lawyer Jessica Jackson (pictured middle) in the last year to gain her law license
She must spend the next four years studying for a minimum of 18 hours a week, with monthly written and multiple choice tests.
Kim must also complete 60 college credits and then work as an apprentice at a law firm in San Francisco with the intention to take the Bar Exam in 2022.
'I want people to understand that there is nothing that should limit your pursuit of your dreams, and the accomplishment of new goals,' Kim said.
'You can create your own lanes, just as I am. The state bar doesn't care who you are.'
