Meek Mill’s run-ins with the law as a result of a crime he committed over a decade ago and the significant strides he has been taking to fight for prison reform after he was granted bail in April last year after serving 5 months for a minor probation violation is very well documented.
It is in this commendable cause that the Championships rapper and Philadelphia native together with Jay-Z, Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, social activist and CNN host Van Jones among others launched the Reform Alliance, a criminal justice organization aiming at reducing “the number of people who are unjustly under the control of the criminal justice system – starting with probation and parole.”
Clocking another win for his aforementioned advocacy this time in his home state, the Pennsylvania Senate, on Tuesday, introduced a bill that would amend the state’s current probation and parole policies. The new Senate Bill 14, which was partly influenced by the rapper’s 11-year probation tussles will also look into his case and others that are of similar nature, according to KYW NewsRadio.
“The time he served because of technical violations greatly extended the amount of time he would have served,” Sen. Sharif Street said about the rapper’s case. “When we have high-profile cases that draw our attention to circumstances that should not apply to any Pennsylvanian, it’s up to us to address those circumstances.”
Under the new bill, a felony crime will attract a reduced five-year probationary period while a misdemeanour will come with a reduced three-year probation with both also being subject to further reductions upon good behaviour, KYW NewsRadio further reported. Additionally, the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing will outline guidelines that would ensure impartiality when cases of people who have violated their probation are being heard.
Welcoming the new bill, Sen. Anthony Williams also said: “While the criminal population is decreasing, the number of those on probation and parole is increasing as we speak,”
“We no longer want to re-incarcerate someone through probation and parole.”
Excited about the bill, Meek Mill also took his Twitter page to
“This is great news! I’ve been on probation 11 years and sent to prison 3 times without committing crime,” he posted. “This will directly effect people growing up in bad environments going in and out of prison for minor mistakes “not crime.
