Kim Kardashian Denies Setting up Photographs During Visit to San Quentin Prison

Kim Kardashian has been touted for her important work in the social justice space, but now she’s facing backlash for allegedly staging photos of herself visiting California’s San Quentin State Prison.

The aspiring lawyer was at the facility to visit Kevin Cooper, a convicted killer on death row at the facility, according to Page Six.

Kardashian, 38, was photographed entering the prison wearing a black jumpsuit on Friday and fans believe the photos were staged, The Blast reported.

The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star was slammed online over the images, which her team denied were arranged. According to the outlet, officials were surprised when pictures from Kardashian’s visit popped up online. Photos taken on state property are prohibited and the parking lot, where Kardashian was pictured, is considered part of that protected property.

Both Kardashian and Cooper’s legal team blamed paparazzi lurking nearby for the images, The Blast said. Sources connected with the photo agency responsible for snapping the pictures said they were not tipped off by anyone in Kardashian’s camp that she would be present at San Quentin on Friday. The photographer also defended their right to photograph, alleging that he or she was shooting from a legal area.

Photos from inside the prison also appeared online, though those were taken by Kardashian’s team. The E! personality was pictured alongside Cooper in images that The Blast said appeared to have been taken with a camera provided by the penitentiary. Officials are looking into reports that Kardashian’s team may have taken video footage, not authorized by the facility, during the visit.

The California Department of Corrections has guidelines for visiting inmates and taking photos during said visits. According to the rules, digital cameras are available inside visiting rooms for prisoners and visitors to use.

“Prison visiting rooms have digital cameras available for photographs of prisoners and/or their visitors to be taken,” the guidelines state. “Visitors violating a policy, regulation, or law are subject to denial, suspension, or revocation of a visit.”

Kardashian tweeted photos from her visit with Cooper, adding that after meeting with the inmate she’s certain he “will be exonerated.” She added that DNA testing has been ordered, and will hopefully prove Cooper’s innocence.

TMZ reported that Kardashian and Cooper “met for two hours in a cell in the visitors’ area.”

“Kim decided to pay a visit so she could have her first face-to-face with the guy she’s trying to free,” an insider told the outlet, adding that she left “more convinced than ever he was framed.”

The reality star has been pushing politicians in California to re-examine DNA evidence linked to the case for some time. In 2018 she tweeted then-Gov. Jerry Brown asking him to help. He did not respond to her request, but new Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered additional testing. The test was done in March, but the results have yet to be made public.

Page Six reported that Cooper’s supporters have long argued that DNA found on a T-shirt Cooper claims he never wore should be reviewed.