“No one should have to spend the holidays in jail:” Meek Mill exonerates 20 women in Philadelphia jail who won’t be able to post bail this Christmas — because the ‘devastated’ rapper had to endure it himself
- Following his own incarceration, Meek Mill was inspired to help others behind bars during the holiday season
- Mill co-founded an organization – REFORM Alliance – that aims to change US bond and probation laws
- The rapper had previously been jailed twice for a series of drug offenses and violating his probationary sentence
Rapper Meek Mill became the personal Christmas miracle of 20 families this holiday season when he posted bail for nearly two dozen women incarcerated at a Philadelphia-area correctional facility.
The Philadelphia-born rapper, 35, paid bail for 20 jailed women who otherwise could not afford to come home for the holidays.
Mill, whose first name is Robert Williams, said: “It was devastating for me to be separated from my son during the holidays while I was incarcerated.”
Several of the women were released on Christmas Eve, some accompanying their children and other loved ones for emotional pre-holiday reunions.
One of the female inmates released from Riverside Correctional Facility after Meek Mills posted her bail before Christmas
An inmate poses with her family after their pre-Christmas reunion
In 2008, Mill was convicted by a convicted felon of second-degree possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a loaded firearm.
He was sentenced by a Philadelphia County Superior Court to 11 to 23 months in prison and eight years probation. He was released in early 2009 after seven months under a five-year probation agreement.
In 2017, he was again sentenced to prison for violating his probation conditions. He served five months elsewhere at a Pennsylvania State Correction Institution.
Following his stints behind bars and various run-ins with the law over the years, Mill, along with other notable names like Jay-Z and Robert Kraft, founded the REFORM Alliance, an organization aimed at “changing probation and probation through changes in the law, systems.” and culture to create real pathways to work and well-being.’
The organization has so far passed 16 bills in 10 states in the name of working towards “sturdy communities, stronger families and greater public safety for all.”
On Saturday morning, Mill shared a post from REFORM on his Instagram Story, which showed one of the women being hugged by a loved one after her guided tour.
“They had me locked away somewhere far from my family,” Mill wrote. ‘Blessings.’
In addition to her release, Mill gave each woman a gift card to buy groceries or gifts, according to a press release from the organization.
After being jailed twice and running into trouble with several others with the law, Mill formed the REFORM Alliance, which aims to change parole and probation laws in the United States
Riverside Correction Facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where 20 female inmates had rapper Meek Mill post their bails so they could spend Christmas with their families
As part of REFORM’s annual fundraising season, more than 50 children whose lives have been impacted by the criminal justice system have been treated to a range of special activities.
Some met with Darius Slay, Avonte Maddox and Dallas Goedert von Mill and Philadelphia Eagles, among others. Others were taken to a 76ers game where they received VIP suite box tickets in their new Philly gear.
Mill also campaigned for a year to ban the use of lyrics in criminal proceedings.
A letter signed by Mills and several of his music industry contemporaries states that prosecutors have argued that “lyrics should be interpreted literally – in the words of one prosecutor, ‘autobiographical journals’ – even though the genre is rooted in a long tradition of storytelling privileged imagery” and “permeated with exaggerations”.
“This tactic effectively denies rap music status as an art, while giving prosecutors a dangerous advantage in the courtroom,” the letter continued. “By presenting rap lyrics as rhyming confessions of illegal behavior, they can often obtain convictions even in the absence of other evidence.”