Rapper Meek Mill became the personal Christmas miracle for 20 families this holiday season as he paid the bail of nearly two-dozen women incarcerated at a Philadelphia-area correctional facility.
The 35-year-old rapper paid the bail of 20 incarcerated women, who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford to get home for the holidays.
Mill, whose given name is Robert Williams, said: ‘It was devastating for me to be away from my son during the holidays when I was incarcerated.’
Several of the women were released on Christmas Eve, some joined by their children and other loved ones in emotional pre-holiday reunions.
In 2008, Mill was convicted of possession of drug paraphernalia and second-degree possession of a loaded firearm by a convicted felon.
He was sentenced to 11 to 23 months in prison and eight years probation by a Philadelphia County Superior Court. He was released after seven months in early 2009 under a five-year probation agreement.
He was again sentenced to prison time in 2017 for violating his parole. He served five months at a different at a Pennsylvania State Correction Institution.
Following his stints behind bars and various run ins with the law over the years, Mill, along with other famous names including Jay-Z and Robert Kraft, established the REFORM Alliance, an organization that aims to ‘transform probation and parole by changing laws, systems and culture to create real pathways to work and wellbeing.’
The organization has so far passed 16 bills across 10 states in the name of working toward ‘stable communities, stronger families and greater public safety for all.’
On Saturday morning, Mill shared a post from REFORM on his Instagram story that showed one of the women being embraced by a loved one after her release.
‘They had me locked up somewhere far away from familyyyyyyyyyy,’ wrote Mill. ‘Blessings.’
In addition to their release, Mill also gave each women a gift card to purchase groceries or gifts, according to a release from the organization.
As part of REFORM’s annual Season of Giving, more than 50 children whose lives have been impacted by the criminal justice system were treated to a range of special activities.
