An episode of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered, titled “Dreams and Nightmares: The Meek Mill Story,” aired on Oxygen on March 6, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET. It revolved around Rapper Meek Mill’s encounters with the criminal justice system.
Rapper Meek Mill was found guilty of possessing drugs and a firearm in 2017. This was after a detective testified that Mill pointed a gun at him during a 2007 arrest. In 2019, he was granted a chance to a new trial after Reginald Graham, who was the only detective to have testified against him in the trial, was found guilty of theft and lying during an internal investigation that ended in his resignation, The New York Times reported.
During his initial conviction in 2017, Meek Mill reportedly cited a failed drug test and was unable to comply with an order restricting his travel. However, after the judgment was overturned in 2019, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge. This was part of a deal that resolved the 2007 arrest. Along with Jay-Z and two American sports team owners, Michael Rubin and Van Jones, Meek Mill reportedly set up the Reform Alliance, per CBS News.
The Reform Alliance is a group that advocated against unjust control over civilians by the nation’s criminal justice system. They mainly focus on the conditions offered by parole and probation practices. Rapper Meek Mill had been on probation since he was first charged in 2007. He took to social media to express his relief upon the court pardoning him over a decade after his first arrest.
How much time did rapper Meek Mill serve in prison?
When he was first arrested on gun and drug charges, rapper Meek Mill served five months in jail. He was then released on parole and was given a 10-month probation period. According to the BBC, during his time on probation, Meek Mill reportedly became a platinum-selling artist. In 2014, when he was suspected of using cannabis, Mill was prevented from touring. He then spent another five months in jail.
After he was found guilty in 2017, the court sentenced Meek Mill to two to four years in prison. The sentence was owed to probation violations, riding a dirt bike in New York, and his role in an alleged scuffle at the St. Louis airport. However, he only served another five months of his sentence and was granted bail in April 2018. The New York Times reported that in 2019, a re-trial was ordered. The initial judge, Genece Brinkley, was removed from the case after suspicions of a bias.
Born Robert Rihmeek Williams, Mill is currently 36 years old. He was brought up in Strawberry Mansion, North Philadelphia. Many Philadelphians reportedly offered their support to Meek Mill throughout his stint with the legal system as well as through his career, according to NPR.
The latest episode of Oxygen‘s Dateline: Secrets Uncovered follow the arrests and convictions of the popular rapper. It shows his views and ideas on the parole system, the criminal justice system, and unjust judicial practices. His perspectives reportedly drew heavily from his personal experiences in prison and his encounters with the justice system.
