Meek Mill helps incarcerated women make it home for the holidays
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Rapper Meek Mill gave back in a meaningful way over the holiday weekend by paying the bail of numerous incarcerated women in his hometown.
Many women who were initially unable to make it home for the holidays got the gift of a lifetime thanks to Meek Mill.
The rapper and co-founder of REFORM Alliance, a non-profit dedicated to probation, parole, and sentencing reform in the US, opted to pay the bail of 20 women who were incarcerated at Riverside Correctional Facility in Philadelphia and couldn't afford it on their own.
"It was devastating for me to be away from my son during the holidays when I was incarcerated," Meek Mill, born Robert Rihmeek Williams, said in a press release. "No one should have to spend the holidays in jail simply because they can't afford bail. I'm grateful for the opportunity to help these women be with their families and loved ones during this special time of year."
Additionally, the women will get gift cards so they can buy groceries and gifts for their loved ones. Five women were released over the weekend, and 15 more women are set to be released this week.
REFORM Alliance was founded in 2018 by Meek Mill and a group of influential business and entertainment leaders, including Jay-Z and Robert Kraft.
Since then, the organization has made impressive progress in its effort to change laws and improve the lives of those negatively impacted by the criminal justice system.
Judge who jailed Meek Mill gets cases reassigned
The news of Meek Mill's heartwarming gesture for incarcerated women came days after Common Pleas Court Judge Genece Brinkley – a Philly judge who once faced heavy criticism for jailing Meek Mill over alleged probation violations in 2017 – had all of her pending criminal cases reassigned for review. She was also transferred to civil court, per the Philadelphia Inquirer.
In that review, various lawyers and judges founded a pattern of questionable rulings and sentences.
This past summer, Brinkley filed a gender and racial discrimination complaint against two of the supervising judges of the Common Pleas Court, both of which are Black women.
Cover photo: Collage: Chris Mansfield for REFORM Alliance