Alice Marie Johnson broke down in tears after she was released from federal prison on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump commuted her life sentence on Wednesday.
The 63-year-old ran towards family and supporters as she enjoyed her first moments of freedom in more than two decades.
Johnson had served nearly 22 years of a life sentence for a non-violent drug offence. But her story came to the media's attention thanks to reality TV star Kim Kardashian calling for her freedom.
Kardashian, the wife of rapper Kanye West, met with Trump at the White House last week to appeal for the release of the great-grandmother convicted of cocaine trafficking.
The White House said in a statement that Trump had commuted Johnson's sentence and that she "has accepted responsibility for her past behavior" and been a "model prisoner."
Alice Marie Johnson, 63, had served nearly 22 years of a life sentence for a non-violent drug offense. Source: Can-Do Clemency
"Despite receiving a life sentence, Alice worked hard to rehabilitate herself in prison, and act as a mentor to her fellow inmates," the White House said.
"While this Administration will always be very tough on crime, it believes that those who have paid their debt to society and worked hard to better themselves while in prison deserve a second chance," it said.
Johnson said Kardashian was her "war angel" after she spent years partitioning for her freedom.
"I heard my name called over the intercom, I had just sat down for lunch and I had to report back to my unit team," she said.
And when I got there, my case manager Mr Holler he dialled, he was calling and I knew I had an attorney. And I still didn't know what it was. And when they all came on then I heard Kim Kardashian's voice and she was the one that told me that it had happened, that I was free, that I was going to rejoin my family."
"I've always called her my angel but then she turned into my war angel, because only war angels never give up. I mean she has truly been relentless in her fight for me," she added.
Kardashian welcomed the commutation of Johnson's sentence with a tweet.
Following his meeting with Kardashian last week, Trump tweeted: "Great meeting with @KimKardashian today, talked about prison reform and sentencing."
Kanye West recently raised eyebrows after tweeting about his "love" for Trump and describing him as a "brother" with whom he shared "dragon energy."
Kim Kardashian West met US President Donald Trump. Source: Twitter
Fixing tough sentencing laws had been a priority of former president Barack Obama's administration, but he failed to win congressional support, prompting a stream of presidential pardons and clemency actions.
Trump has so far taken a more hardline approach, advocating a "lock-em-up-and-throw-away-the-key" approach to criminal justice.
During his first year and half in office he has issued a number of pardons, however, mostly involving high-profile cases.
Opposition Democrats say Trump's pardons - or hints to issue clemency - of political allies is meant to signal his present and former aides that they need not fear resisting the probe by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into possible collusion between Russia and Trump's 2016 election campaign.
Last week, Trump pardoned firebrand conservative commentator Dinesh D'Souza, who was convicted of violating campaign finance laws.
1932 file photo of boxer Jack Johnson and US President Donald Trump Source: AAP
He previously pardoned disgraced Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, a Trump supporter who violated a court order to halt traffic patrols targeting immigrants.
He also commuted the sentence of vice president Dick Cheney's former chief of staff Lewis "Scooter" Libby.
Trump issued a posthumous pardon to Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight boxing champion, who was sent to prison a century ago in a racially charged case.
The president has also signaled that he could similarly favor lifestyle guru Martha Stewart, who went to jail for making false statements in an insider trading case, and commute the prison sentence of Rod Blagojevich, a former governor of Illinois convicted of corruption.
Blagojevich - a Democrat - appeared on Trump's reality TV show "The Apprentice" while Stewart once hosted a spin-off version of the show.
Trump on Monday even asserted a right to pardon himself of any crime.
