Entertainment
Meek Mill posted bail for 20 women in jail so they could spend Christmas with their families-Rachael O'Connor-Entertainment – Metro
‘I understand what these women and their families are going through.’
Meek Mill has paid for 20 women’s bail so they could spend Christmas with their families (Picture: Getty Images for BET)
Meek Mill says he posted bail for 20 women over the festive season so they could spend Christmas with their families.
The rapper, 35, is known for out-of-the-blue gestures of goodwill, having previously surprised his grandmother by buying her a house.
Now the musician has given 20 families the gift of having a loved one home at Christmas.
In a statement, Mill said he was providing the money as nobody should be forced to send the holidays behind bars ‘simply because they can’t afford bail.’
He said: ‘It was devastating for me to be away from my son during the holidays when I was incarcerated, so I understand what these women and their families are going through.
‘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.
The musician is passionate about reforming probation and parole having had first-hand experience of the system (Picture: Getty Images)
‘I’m grateful for the opportunity to help these women be with their families and loved ones during this special time of year.’
Mill is also co-chair of charity Reform Alliance, which aims to reform the criminal justice system in the US and reduce the number of people in prison, on probation and on parole.
A statement from the non-profit was also posted to Instagram, reading: ‘The women, who were unable to afford bail, will now be able to spend the holiday season with their families and loved ones.
Mill is co-chair of non-profit Reform, which is seeking major changes in the US criminal justice system (Picture: Getty Images)
‘Five women were released today and will be reunited with their families,
with the goal of 15 more women being released in the coming week.
‘The women will also each receive a gift card to purchase groceries or gifts
for the holidays.’
Mill has had first-hand experience of the US criminal justice system, having been imprisoned for violating terms of his probation for a case dating back to 2008.
The star has been imprisoned and in court multiple times for a charge he received when he was 19 (Picture: Getty Images)
He was last freed from prison in 2018, after being released from his original two-year sentence in 2017 for violating probation.
A judge ruled he had violated probation after being arrested for fighting at a St. Louis airport, and for recklessly driving his motorcycle in NYC.
Both of those 2016 cases were dropped but the judge reportedly claimed the arrests alone were violations; in 2015 he had also violated probation for leaving Pennsylvania for a gig without getting approval from court.
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Following his most recent release, he told a Dateline NBC special he ‘hasn’t felt free’ since he was first charged over a decade ago.
‘I don’t feel free. I ain’t feel free since I caught this case at the age of 19. I’m 30 now,’ he added at the time.
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