Meek Mill says his history with opioid addiction, while he was on probation, is the perfect example of why Pennsylvania needs criminal justice reform.
Meek stood shoulder to shoulder Thursday in Philly with PA Governor Tom Wolf and other state leaders to address the need to revamp the justice system. He said when he was coping with addiction he was afraid to tell his probation officer, because he thought it would be grounds for the judge to throw him in jail.
He says his probation officer at the time helped get him into rehab. But, Meek’s point was that people caught up in the system tend to be hesitant to get help with their drug problems. He went on to address other issues with the system — namely, being able to get locked up for merely coming into contact with cops.
He says if he was with the 2 black men who were recently arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks, he could’ve been sentenced to 2-4 years in prison simply for the police run-in.
Gov. Wolf and co. are proposing legislation to address these issues and others related to cases like Meek’s.