Nearly eight months after being released from prison, Meek Mill is continuing his fight for prison reform with an op-ed in The New York Times.
In the article published on Monday, the Dreams and Nightmares rapper discussed how he believes his punishment didn't fit his crime (he was sentenced to two to four years in state prison for popping wheelies), how he feels his celebrity status helped him fight his case and why he wants politicians to tackle prison reform immediately.
"Like many who are currently incarcerated, I was the victim of a miscarriage of justice — carried out by an untruthful officer, as determined by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office, and an unfair judge … My crime? Popping a wheelie on a motorcycle in Manhattan," he wrote in The Times piece. "Even though the charge was dismissed in a New York City court, a Philadelphia-based judge still deemed my interaction with the police to be a technical violation of my probation."
The artist wrote he is "the exception to the rule" given he was released after serving a few months. Other people of color, he claims, do not have access to the same legal help he did and end up caught in "a vicious cycle, feeding upon itself — sons and daughters grow up with their parents in and out of prison, and then become far more likely to become tied up in the arrest-jail-probation cycle."
To make what he calls a "real change," The Philadelphia rapper announced a new foundation that will work to overhaul the criminal justice system.
"Together, we will demand stronger prison rehabilitation programs, updated probation policies — including shortened probationary periods — an improved bail system and balanced sentencing structures," he wrote.
According to Vulture, Meek also addresses the need for prison reform on his new album, Championships.
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