- Gov. Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania has formally pardoned Meek Mill.
- Permanently expunging 2008 drug and weapons convictions from his criminal record.
- The rapper, who has long advocated for criminal justice reform, posted the information on Instagram.
Meek Mill, 35, wrote. “Only God knows how much more I will do for my neighbourhood! New levels have been unlocked.” On his Instagram Story, he also expressed gratitude to the lawmaker for his “life reset.”
Meek, born Robert Williams, was one of 369 Pennsylvanians pardoned this week as a result of Wolf’s action, breaking the previous record for the number of pardons granted by the state, according to the Associated Press.
In a statement, Wolf said, “I have taken this process extremely seriously, carefully considering each and every one of these 2,540 pardons and the lives they will effect. It has been an honour for me to give second chances to every single Pennsylvanian who persevered through the process.
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Following a teenage arrest, Meek was first found guilty in 2008 and given a sentence of one to two years in jail, followed by ten years of probation. The musician received a minimum two-year sentence in 2017 for violating his probation following two separate arrests, an alleged failed drug test, and failing to follow a travel restriction order. Meek was released in April 2018 after completing a five-month sentence at the Pennsylvania State Correctional Institution in Graterford, Montgomery County. According to the AP, the conviction was reversed by a Pennsylvania appeals court in 2019 after new information called into question the arresting officer’s reliability.
In the years since, Meek launched the REFORM Alliance alongside Michael Rubin, Shawn “Carter, Robert Kraft and more. He has since assisted in the passing of 16 bills in 10 states, working toward “stable communities, stronger families and greater public safety for all,” per REFORM, in an effort to “transform probation and parole by changing laws, systems and culture to create real pathways to work and wellbeing.”
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