This past week, Meek Mill was sentenced to two to four years in state prison for violating his probation, a verdict made by Judge Genece E. Brinkley that sent the hip-hop community into universal outrage.
To break it down, the Philadelphia rapper was arrested in Philadelphia back in 2007 on 19 drug and gun-related charges. He was eventually found guilty of 7 of those charges and went on to serve eight months in prison. He later violated the terms of his probation four times, in 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Rumor Report | Meek Mill sentenced to 2-4 years in prison for violating probation
In 2017, Meek was arrested on two separate occasions, once after a fight at a St. Louis airport and most recently, in August, after recklessly driving a motorcycle in New York. Although both cases were dropped, the incidents led to a court appearance to determine whether or not he was in violation of his probation, with the ruling sending him back behind bars.
While Meek’s legal team is already at work laying the predicate for an appeal, by way of outlining the ways in which the Judge exhibited “enormous bias” over the years, REVOLT recruited several special guests to lead a conversation surrounding the controversial sentencing.
Jamira Burley, the Head of Youth Engagement and Skills, Global Coalition for Education & 2015 Leading With Conviction alumna, Ernest Owens, journalist and editor of G Philly and Glenn Martin, the founder and president of JustLeadershipUSA, each helped lead REVOLT’s impactful Twitter discussion on Thursday (Nov. 9). With the culture up in arms, and for ample reason, countless fans participated in the discussion, with many weighing in on their own experiences in the prison system and opinions of the legal justice system in general.
Take a look at some highlights from the discussion below.
How does someone even end up on probation for 10 years?
Does prison actually do the job of rehabilitating people?
Is there a chance that Meek’s sentence was politically charged? In other words, did the judge make an example out of him?
What’s the story behind the judge’s extensive history with the Meek Mill case? We’ve heard a lot about interactions that were out of the norm. Requests for songs to be made, popping up at his community service, and even requests for him to change management.
What does being in prison do to a person mentally?
What needs to change so that those sentence can actually be rehabilitated and not return to prison?