Virginia governor signs probation reform bill alongside rapper Meek Mill

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed a bill on Thursday that will provide court limitations for probation sentences in his state. The legislation won the support of rapper and criminal justice advocate Meek Mill, who in 2019 overcame a 12-year legal case for misdemeanor charges that resulted in both prison and probation. 

"I have the resources and I'm in a position to do better to help," Meek Mill said Thursday at a news conference. "I'll make sure I'll be able to deliver and close every bridge I can to help fix the system because I was affected by that."  The bill takes effect July 1 and limits the amount of "active incarceration" a court can impose for violations to a person's probation terms. It requires a court to "measure any period of suspension of sentence from the date of entry of the original sentencing order" and limits supervised probation to a maximum of five years for felony charges and one year for misdemeanor offenses.