As a formerly incarcerated person, rapper Meek Mill wanted to give 20 women in the Riverside Correctional Facility in Philadelphia the opportunity to spend the holidays at home. These women, in particular, could not afford bail, and Mill has used his experience with the criminal justice system to institute measures to prevent others from going through the same thing.
The rapper shared with REFORM Alliance that it was devastating to be away from his son during the holidays, “I understand what these women and their families are going through,” he wrote in an Instagram caption. “No one should have to spend the holidays in jail simply because they can’t afford bail, and no child should be without their parents during this time if we can do something about it.”
Meek Mill was previously sentenced to 2-4 years in prison for a probation violation. The Philly native launched the REFORM Alliance with rapper Jay-Z in 2019 in light of Mill’s journey to freedom. According to its mission statement, the organization aims to transform probation and parole by changing laws, systems and culture to create natural pathways to work and well-being.
“Every time I started to further my life … every year or two, there was always something that brought me back to ground zero, which was probation. I always wondered what happened to the people in situations worse than mine,” Mill stated after launching his prison reform platform. “I’m here to speak for the people who don’t have a voice.”
Aside from having their bail paid, the women received gift cards to purchase groceries and other essentials.
