Gov. Josh Shapiro with Philadelphia native Meek Mill signs prison reform bill at National Constitution Center

By Dan Snyder and Casey Kuhn

On December 15, 2023

State lawmakers passed a slew of criminal justice reform measures this week. Governor Josh Shapiro was in town Friday to tout one in particular and he brought a big backer with him.

“I don’t want to get emotional ’cause it’s a lot,” Meek Mill said.

An emotional afternoon for Meek Mill as the Philly rapper and activist joined Governor Shapiro and state lawmakers in celebrating a cause that hits home for him: probation reform.

“We tried to be better but they labeled us felons. Sent us back to jail. I had to fight against that the whole time, to gain my respect and be who I am today,” he said. “And I’m proud of that.”

Meek was infamously jailed for five months in 2018 for a probation violation of doing wheelies on a dirt bike. Shapiro said the bipartisan Senate Bill 838 aims to stop people on probation from being sent to prison for these types of technical violations. It also looks to reduce lengthy probation terms for offenders who are committed to doing better.

“We’re showing that we believe in second chances in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and when some gets a second chance, that should be a real opportunity to start over and succeed,” Shapiro said.

But the probation reform faced plenty of challengers. At least 50 organizations opposed the plan including the ACLU.

The ACLU of Pennsylvania said the plan, “fails to address the core problems plaguing Pennsylvania’s probation system.”

The Defender Association of Philadelphia also opposed it.

Chief Defender Keisha Hudson said while the goal may be to stop jailing people for missed appointments or failed drug tests it doesn’t outright prevent it.

“This bill does not I think go nearly far enough to address the problem of technical probation violations. It does not go as far enough as we think it could,” Hudson said.

Still, backers call this a milestone law and pledge that their work isn’t finished.

“For those who say this didn’t go far enough, that’s fine,” State Rep. Jordan Harris said. “Cause this is just the beginning.”

This piece was republished from CBS News.