On Thursday, January 12, rapper Meek Mill announced that he has officially been pardoned of his conviction on firearms and drug charges by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf. Mill took to Instagram where he posted the official pardon statement. This means “total forgiveness by the state for a criminal conviction,” allowing a person to completely clear their criminal record.
Mill was originally convicted in 2008 and sentenced to probation. In 2018, the rapper received a two to four year prison sentence for violating his probation. This sparked a movement and triggered an outcry from criminal justice activists, trending the hashtag #FreeMeekMill. The rapper has since become a vocal advocate for criminal justice reform and even launched an organization in 2019 called the REFORM Alliance. According to the organizations website, their aim is “to transform probation and parole by changing laws, systems and culture to create real pathways to work and wellbeing.”
Mill was one of 369 Pennsylvanians pardoned by the governor this week. The pardons granted in the past week has raised Wolf’s total pardons to 2,540, the most ever granted by Pennsylvania governor. “I have taken this process very seriously — reviewing and giving careful thought to each and every one of these 2,540 pardons and the lives they will impact,” said Wolf in a news release. “Every single one of the Pennsylvanians who made it through the process truly deserves their second chance, and it’s been my honor to grant it.” (CNN)
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