The rapper Meek Mill has posted bail for 20 women in jail to allow them to spend the holidays with their families.
The women were incarcerated at the Riverside Correctional Facility in Philadelphia without the money to post bail, the Reform Alliance, an organisation founded by Meek Mill and Jay-Z along with other leaders from sports and business in 2019, wrote in the caption of an Instagram post.
Five women were released on Saturday, and another 15 will be released over the coming week, the non-profit said on Christmas Eve.
The women will also get a gift card “to purchase groceries or gifts for the holidays,” according to Reform.
Meek Mill said his donation was inspired by his own time in jail.
“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,” he said in a separate Reform Instagram post.
“For families impacted by the criminal justice system, the holidays can be an extremely challenging time,” he added. “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.”
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to help these women be with their families and loved ones during this special time of year,” he said.
Reform works to “transform probation and parole by changing laws, systems and culture to create real pathways to work and wellbeing,” the group’s website stated.
Meek Mill, a Philadelphia native, has been outspoken on the need for criminal justice reform, CNN noted.
He was sentenced to between two and four years in prison in 2017 following a parole violation, prompting a social media movement going under the hashtag #FreeMeekMill. He left prison after five months.
Philadelphia government data states that city prisons housed 4,546 people in November of this year. Women make up 6.4 per cent of that group.
“For families impacted by the criminal justice system, the holidays can be an extremely challenging time,” Meek Mill said, according to Reform. “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. I’m grateful for the opportunity to help these women be with their families and loved ones during this special time of year.”
