At a probation reform bill signing ceremony in Pennsylvania on Friday, rapper Meek Mill wiped away tears as he said that the new legislation will help ex-cons like him lead regular lives after jail.
Meek Mill in Tears As Pennsylvania Probation Reform Is Signed. All of us were raised on the streets. The 36-year-old Mill said, “We try to be better, but they label us ‘felons,’ sent us back to jail.”
“To earn my respect and become the person I am now, I had to battle against it the whole time. And I’m happy with that.
Governor Josh Shapiro signed several criminal justice reforms into law on Thursday, including limiting the duration of probation, removing more criminal records from public view, mandating probation reviews after at least two years, and providing incentives for ex-offenders to reintegrate into society rather than punishing them.
The legislation also eliminates several minor technical infractions for non-violent offenders that once would have resulted in prison time. These include arriving late for appointments, leaving the state without authorization, and failing to pay fines that they cannot afford.
Real name Robert Rihmeek Williams, Mill assisted in leading the reform efforts despite being placed on probation for the rest of his adult life after being found guilty of drug and firearm crimes in 2008.
After spending seven months in jail, he was first given a five-year parole sentence. However, he was often brought back to prison and given harsher probationary penalties for breaking his terms of probation, many of which were for minor technical offenses.
After committing one of these infractions in 2017, Mill was sentenced to two to four years in jail, of which he spent just five months. This incident inspired him to utilize his narrative to “shine a light” on the criminal justice system.
Every time I crossed the Ben Franklin Bridge to pick up my mother and drop my kid off at school in New Jersey, I was breaking the law all along due to infractions. “My son saw me in prison and I wanted to take my son to school, but I didn’t have any way around that because I was already in jail my whole 20s,” the Dream Chasers Records President added, shedding a tear. Thus, I decided to either send my kid to school or go to jail, and I chose to send him there.
In 2023, fifteen years after his criminal career started, Mill received his ultimate pardon.
The ACLU said that the measure failed to create an automatic or effective means to stop probation early and that judges are still able to “stack” probation terms and impose probation after jail notwithstanding the revisions.
Unless the offender commits a felony that indicates they pose a risk to public safety, has not finished a prescribed course of treatment, or has not made reparations under certain conditions, probation must cease.
