In 1997, Alice Johnson was given a life sentence plus 25 years as punishment for involvement with cocaine distribution. Twenty one years later, now 63-year-old Johnson has been freed.

Her release came after star Kim Kardashian met with President Trump to speak about prison reform upon discovering Johnson's story. In a statement from the White House, administration explains that Johnson "accepted responsibility for her past behavior and has been a model prisoner… this administration… believes that those who have paid their debt to society and worked to better themselves while in prison deserve a second chance".

If this is true, though, why are so many people in a similar position to the one that Alice Johnson found herself in? Let's take a look at Matthew Charles's case. In 1996, Matthew Charles received a sentence of 35 years for selling cocaine. After spending two decades behind bars, he was released in 2016 after a sentence reduction under Obama's administration. Then, in March of this year, Charles received notice that his sentence reduction had been completed "in error", and he was sent back to prison to finish his original 35 year sentence.

If the White House is truly dedicated to giving second chances to those who have committed themselves to becoming better people, they should have noticed by now the fact that Matthew Charles, during his two years of freedom, spent every Saturday volunteering with friend Richard Wolfe, whom he met a halfway house in 2016… despite the fact that both men had completed their community service requirements long ago.

They should have noticed by now that not only did Charles make efforts outside of prison to be a positive, active member of society, but while in prison, he took college classes, taught a GED program, and became a law clerk, then proceeded to assist other incarcerated men in understanding the judicial system.

They should have noticed that during the entirety of the two decades Matthew Charles spent in prison, he received not one single disciplinary infraction.

The decision to send Charles back to prison came in response to a filing made by a Tennessee attorney general who cited Charles's past drug, domestic violence, kidnapping, and gun violence convictions. It goes without saying that this case might not be the ideal case when being used to argue for prison reform, but it is absolutely essential to take note of the fact that during his two years outside of prison, Charles acted as a star member of his community, actually doing more to help society than most average people do. What is even more important to understand is that it is unusual for an incarcerated individual to prove himself or herself to no longer be a threat to society after being released, and this fact puts even more emphasis on Charles's self-improvement.

This Washington Post article cites that, as of 2016, 1,907 nonviolent drug offenders are serving life sentences, and another 103 are serving "virtual life sentences" of 50 years or more. As stated by the U.S. Sentencing Commission, life sentences can be given for dealing specific quantities of drugs, which are often labeled as "large quantities" but are actually quite the opposite: one kilogram of heroin, half a kilogram of methamphetamine mixtures, or about a quarter of a kilogram of cocaine.

Even more senseless is the fact that many people are dealing with the same, overstated sentences for possession of marijuana. Lee Carroll Broker, a then 75-year-old, disabled veteran in Alabama, was convicted of drug trafficking in 2014 following the raid of his son's home in which 42 marijuana plants were found. Lee's son, Darren, was given five years of probation, and a pending five-year prison sentence which would be suspended if probation was not violated. Lee, though, having four, decades-old felony convictions, automatically received a life sentence, as is mandated by Alabama law when a person is in possession of two pounds of marijuana.

It doesn't stop there. According to the ACLU, more than 3,000 people are serving life sentences for nonviolent crimes. One of these people is Teresa Griffin, whose sentence came after she was found with half a pound of her abusive boyfriend's cocaine, as well as $38,000 of his cash. When she threatened to leave him several years before, Griffin was reportedly hit and threatened by the boyfriend before being coerced into transporting drugs and picking up drug money for him.

For Quierza Lewis, a life sentence was punishment for possession of crack cocaine, as a result of a three strikes law.

These sentences don't only come to nonviolent drug offenders, though.

44-year-old Anthony Jackson received life without parole, after stealing a wallet from a hotel room, due to two prior convictions for burglary. Jackson, only having a sixth-grade-education, chose to represent himself during his trial after his court-appointed attorney failed to prepare properly and didn't even know what charges Jackson was facing. The result? Mandatory life parole under South Carolina's three strikes law.

These stories, and more, show the imminent need for prison reform and re-analysis of the judicial system. There are critical flaws in the system, and these are resulting in desperate, literal life or death situations. People's lives are being taken away, all because of a hypocritical, "we believe in second chances" administration that can't seem to comprehend what, exactly, nonviolent means… let alone actually give second chances.

If the administration actually clued into the stories of these people who have been stripped of their dignity, families, and lives, the storyline would be different. If the administration would hold their word, giving these people the respect and devoted attention that they deserve, the storyline would be different. We wouldn't be living in a world where undeserving people are made to die behind bars. It shouldn't even be the case in the first place, and the fact that it is the case stands as proof that something is horribly, horribly wrong.

I hope this article is a wake up call. I hope it is a reality check, and I hope it grabs you in such a way that you, too, feel the desperation of these thousands of people who have been sentenced to die behind bars for crimes that they instantly regretted.

Crimes that they have spent years upon years trying to make up for.

Crimes that they will spend their lives trying to make up for, if we do not make a change.