December 2025

“I am surprised to say that I now reside in transitional housing. I left Waseca Federal Correctional Institution on October 1st, thanking God to have seen the beautiful face of my dear friend Julie Brown in the prison parking lot there to pick me up and transport me to my new home, a halfway house. It had been over 5 years since she and I said our goodbyes on the Des Moines Catholic Worker front porch, both shedding a few tears at the time, me a nervous wreck preparing for the greatest unknown I’d yet experienced. Needless to say, it was a heartfelt reunion.

So I’ve been in the halfway house scene for a few weeks now, settling in as well as possible, I suppose. Although I am no longer in prison, I am still Bureau of Prison property. Let me expand on that a bit further. If I had any doubt about what it means to be BOP property, it was cleared up when one time, a few years back, a group of us were playing a prison yard softball game. It was early in the year, and so we were all pretty stir crazy after a long winter indoors and eager to get out of our housing units and to get a little sunshine and fresh air.

Well, a few of the women got a little too much sun and by the following morning were pretty red-faced, and then one of the women was called to her counselor’s office to receive a disciplinary write up for her sunburn: “destruction of government property”. Wow! It kind of hit me in a different way at that moment. So, although there is no longer a fence surrounding me, until 10/01/2027, every move I make is monitored. Any and all doctor’s appointments, mental health therapy sessions, all communication on my phone and email, any employment endeavors, all overseen by BOP.

Taking it all in, where I’ve been, where I am now, and heading toward home confinement, am I doing alright? In a real way, no probably not. I am sad all the time. It is hard to be hopeful about too many good days ahead any time soon. Did prison do that to me? Can I blame the BOP? Is it because I still can’t garden or hike or swim? Or maybe I could blame the fact the world, at a glance, seems as bad as it ever was? All I know is that for a while now the laughter has left me.

I thank everyone for their prayers, thoughts, letters, and contributions along the way. Without you I don’t know where I’d be during these dark times. Thank you so very much.

Jessica Reznicek”

You can write directly to Jess at:
Fresh Start Women’s Center (Women’s Residential Correctional Facility)
1917 Hickman Rd,
Des Moines, IA 50314