PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — LaTonya Myers spoke from the heart at a ceremonial probation reform bill signing in Philadelphia Friday as she recounted her journey in the criminal justice system that was complicated by what she sees as Pennsylvania’s draconian probation laws.
Myers was 12 years old when she defended her mother from an abusive boyfriend. It landed her in jail.
When she was released, she faced at least 10 years of supervision.
“There were things that were out of my control that I couldn’t handle. Instead of being there and figuring out what I need to be more successful, they put more restrictions on me,” Myers said.
Anything from being late to a meeting with a probation officer to missing curfew by a few minutes could land someone on probation back in jail.
Wallace Peeples, better known as Wallo267, a podcaster and motivational speaker, spent 20 years in prison and remains on probation until 2048 after being released in 1990.
It took someone like Robert Williams, better known as rapper Meek Mill, to potentially change that reality for Peeples and Myers.
Mill spent most of his life on probation following an arrest from when he was a teenager.
In 2017, he was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment after riding a dirt bike around streets in New York.
“And instead of getting some warning, instead of getting some community service, Meek was taken away that day in handcuffs,” said Gov. Josh Shapiro, who signed the new bipartisan legislation.
Meek said his arrests "sparked a movement," helping pave way to this change.
The Comprehensive Probation Reform legislation, formerly SB 838, directs judges to avoid sending someone back to prison for minor, technical violations.
“We’re showing that we believe in second chances here in Pennsylvania – and when someone gets a second chance, that should be a real opportunity to start over and succeed," Shapiro added.
It also creates a more regular schedule for probation reviews, hoping to get people out of supervision sooner. It does not, however, put a cap on the length of a probation sentence.
“This right here is for the people the world forgot about,” Peeples said.