Tonight in an interview from behind bars, Meek Mill spoke candidly over the phone to NBC’s Lester Holt about the criminal justice system in America. He said that he’s long considered the ten years of probation he was given in 2008 to basically be a guarantee he would eventually find himself back behind bars.
“There was always a thought in the back of my mind that ten years of probation would bring me back to prison.”
It turns out Meek was right. Mill is back in prison despite not being convicted of a crime since he was 19. The sentence of 2-4 years was handed down by a judge as a result of being arrested for popping a wheelie on a motorcycle in 2017 and an unrelated “altercation.” Though charges were not brought against Mill in either situation, the judge presiding over his case — Genece Brinkley — believed he still technically broke the rules of his parole and thus sentenced him to 2-4 years in prison.
WATCH: Rapper Meek Mill was jailed for violating probation in a case that has received national attention and calls for criminal justice reform.
He speaks out to @LesterHoltNBC in an @NBCNews exclusive. pic.twitter.com/kYwScGEvsv
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) April 12, 2018
Ever since his sentencing, the integrity of the conviction has been called into question. Several musicians, athletes, and other celebrities have spoken out in favor of Meek Mill and against the current state of the prison industrial complex in the United States. Jay-Z even wrote an op-ed about the issue in the New York Times. Beyond the public backlash, there is, of course, the nuts and bolts of the case and the sentencing itself. Afterall, it has recently been revealed that the original arresting officer was flagged by prosecutors as being an unreliable witness. Additionally, the judge who handed down the prison sentence has had her conduct and history of convictions called into question as a result of a bizarre pattern of behavior in how she deals with the accused.
Whether or not Meek Mill will be forced to serve his sentence remains unknown but he has vowed that this experience has made him want to help others who are oppressed by an unfair prison system.
“I think god delivered me a job to helping people. Helping minorities that come from these situations like myself. I say don’t show me no pity because this is my life, this is what I’ve been going through. And I think god put me in this position to be able to do a show with Lester Holt and to open up eyes for other young black men.”
Meek Mill will have another hearing about this case on 04/16/18.
