Following suit with other states, Connecticut declared a “Meek Mill Day” following his performance in Hartford, CT on Mar. 19. Before stepping on stage, Meek Mill met backstage with State Representative, Brandon McGee who not only handed Mill the key to Connecticut, but also a proclamation officially declaring Mar. 19 as “Meek Mill Day.” The artist recently received similar accolades in the cities of Philadelphia and Houston as recognition for his work as an advocate for criminal justice reform.

A day prior to the concert, Van Jones, CEO of REFORM Alliance discussed his company in Connecticut. Jones also spoke briefly with Governor Ned Lamont about a potential bill that would work to restore voting rights to convicts that are no longer behind bars. According to Jones, it is necessary to be helping convicts rather than continuing to punish them.

Along with Jones, Meek Mill also served as a Co-chair for the REFORM Alliance. Their mission is to “dramatically reduce the number of people who are unjustly under the control of the criminal justice system.” Unfortunately, there are too many who get stuck in the proverbial revolving door of probation and parole with no escape. The goal of REFORM is to produce an alliance made up of leaders in business, government, entertainment, sports, and many others. So where does Meek Mill fit into all of this? Back in Nov 2017, Mill began to serve a prison sentence for violating his probation, which ignited a nationwide debate about the criminal justice system.

Earlier in March, Mill and several other chairmen of REFORM Alliance proposed a bipartisan bill in Pennsylvania which seeks to reform the probation and parole system in the state. The law would prevent state courts from sentencing someone to consecutive prison sentences or extending probation on the basis of technical or even non-violent violations. This bill could completely change the criminal justice system, offering hope to those reentering society in Penn. and potentially many other states going forward.