The Camp Road Home

A Community Update & Prayer Request From Noél

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." — Proverbs 13:12

Over the last few weeks, Brett and I have been carefully studying several recent announcements coming directly from the Federal Bureau of Prisons. While we never want to build our hopes on rumors, we do pay close attention when the BOP itself begins publicly outlining where it believes the future of federal corrections is headed.

For the first time since Brett surrendered, it feels like we are beginning to see a more defined path forming.

Not a guarantee.

Not a promise.

But a path.

What Did The BOP Just Announce?

On May 28, 2026, the Federal Bureau of Prisons announced a new initiative focused on expanding the use of minimum-security prison camps as transitional placement centers for inmates preparing to return to their communities.

In simple terms, the BOP is saying:

Instead of moving people directly from higher-security institutions back into society, they want more eligible inmates to first transition through prison camps where they can receive additional preparation, structure, accountability, and community-based opportunities before release.

The BOP specifically stated that these camps provide a more "community-like environment" and that they believe this model better prepares individuals for successful reentry.

Even more importantly, the announcement made it clear that individuals who have already received a Residential Reentry Center (RRC) or Home Confinement placement date may now be prioritized for transfer to camps as part of that transition process.

For those of us who have spent years studying prison reform, this is a significant shift in language.

The Bureau is no longer simply talking about incarceration.

They are increasingly talking about reentry, transition, preparation, accountability, rehabilitation, and earned opportunities.

For families like ours, that matters.

Because every conversation about successful reentry is ultimately a conversation about restoration, redemption, and helping people return home prepared to thrive.

What Brett Sees Happening

When I first sent these articles to Brett, his response honestly caught me off guard.

While many people may have viewed this announcement as a small administrative change, Brett immediately saw something bigger.

He wrote:

"He is building a pipeline that gives prisoners an opportunity to EARN their way home with incremental increases in liberty."

That phrase has stuck with me.

Earn their way home.

For Brett, this isn't just about prison camps.

It's about the continued evolution of the First Step Act.

Since arriving at FMC Rochester, Brett has intentionally immersed himself in productive programming, vocational training, service work, and rehabilitation opportunities because he believes the First Step Act was designed to reward exactly those kinds of efforts.

In many ways, he views his own journey as a real-world test case of what prison reform can look like when someone fully embraces the opportunities available to them.

Through the service dog program, vocational training, educational programming, and maintaining a spotless disciplinary record, Brett has worked hard to become the kind of success story lawmakers envisioned when they passed the First Step Act in 2018.

As Brett often reminds me, the First Step Act remains the primary law creating pathways toward earned time credits, community placement opportunities, and eventually home confinement.

That's why he pays such close attention whenever the Bureau of Prisons begins discussing camps, reentry, work-release opportunities, and transitional placement models.

To him, these recent announcements feel less like isolated policy changes and more like the next chapter in a much larger reentry strategy that has been developing for years.

Throughout his incarceration, Brett has consistently believed that meaningful prison reform would likely happen through a structured process rather than simply opening the doors and releasing people early.

The more he reads Director William Marshall's statements, the more he believes the BOP is moving toward a model where individuals who demonstrate accountability, productivity, rehabilitation, and public safety can gradually earn increased levels of trust and freedom.

In Brett's words:

"Building a structure where inmates can earn their way out of prison based on merit is genius. Only inmates who earn their way to a camp should be considered for home confinement and work release programs."

Whether that ultimately becomes reality remains to be seen.

But it is certainly the direction many of these recent announcements appear to be pointing.

For the first time, Brett feels like he can see a documented pathway beginning to form—one that rewards productive programming, good conduct, personal growth, and preparation for life after prison.

The September Meeting

This brings us to the next major milestone.

In September, Brett has another Case Manager meeting.

For our family, this meeting feels incredibly important.

It represents one of the first significant opportunities to better understand what a future transfer process might look like and whether camp placement can become part of Brett's reentry journey.

Nothing has been approved.

Nothing has been promised.

But for the first time, there is an actual conversation worth having.

And after more than a year apart, that means a lot.

When Brett surrendered, we knew this would be a marathon, not a sprint.

Yet every family living this journey knows that hope often arrives through small milestones.

A conversation.

A meeting.

A new policy.

A door cracking open just enough to let a little light shine through.

September feels like one of those moments.

Why Lompoc?

Many of you know that our original hope had been for the federal facility at Terminal Island in Long Beach because of its proximity to our family in Orange County.

While Terminal Island was a low-security federal institution rather than a prison camp, it represented one of the closest federal facilities to home and was often discussed as a potential future transfer destination.

Unfortunately, that facility has since closed, causing us to prayerfully look at other California options should transfer opportunities become available in the future.

Because of that, our family is now prayerfully looking toward Lompoc in Santa Barbara County as the most ideal option for a future transfer should that opportunity become available.

While Lompoc would still place Brett several hours from home, it would bring him back to California and significantly closer to the people who love him most.

To many people, that may not seem like a big deal.

To our family, it feels enormous.

For over a year, our children have had to love their dad from nearly 2,000 miles away.

Every phone call.

Every visit.

Every birthday.

Every school milestone.

Every difficult conversation.

Every celebration.

Every ordinary moment that families often take for granted has happened with that distance hanging over us.

The thought of Brett being back in California feels less like a prison transfer and more like the beginning of a bridge being built.

A bridge toward restoration.

A bridge toward healing.

A bridge toward home.

Again, we are not claiming this will happen.

We are simply sharing where our prayers are currently focused.

As a family, we are praying that if a camp transfer becomes part of Brett's journey, Lompoc would be the place God opens the door to. We are hopeful that it could become an important stepping stone in the reentry process and, ultimately, the final stop before Brett is reunited with us at home.

For years, our family has been forced to live in the tension between grief and hope. We have learned that hope is not pretending everything will work out exactly how we want it to.

Hope is trusting that God is still working even when we cannot yet see the outcome.

So while nothing has been approved, promised, or guaranteed, we are choosing to pray boldly.

We are praying for favor.

We are praying for wisdom.

And we are praying that God would continue opening doors that no man can shut.

The Tradeoff Nobody Talks About

One thing I deeply appreciate about Brett is that he doesn't view this decision through rose-colored glasses.

A transfer to a camp would come with real sacrifices.

Right now, Brett has found tremendous purpose through the service dog program and the work he does every day helping train future service animals.

He has poured his heart into that mission.

Moving to a camp would likely mean leaving that behind.

As difficult as that would be, Brett also recognizes that the dog program may not be the end of the story. Perhaps God used this season to awaken gifts and passions that will one day serve countless people—and dogs—outside these prison walls.

Sometimes God asks us to leave something good because He is preparing us for something even greater.

As Brett wrote:

"Going to a camp would come with a huge tradeoff. I would no longer have access to a dog program. I've found so much purpose in developing this new career."

That is why we are trying to approach every decision with wisdom rather than emotion.

We want God's timing.

Not simply our own desires.

What We're Asking You To Pray For

If you have followed our story for any length of time, you know prayer has carried us through some incredibly dark seasons.

Today we are asking for prayer once again.

Please pray for:

• Wisdom for Brett as he approaches his September Case Manager meeting.
• Favor with those making classification and transfer decisions.
• Clear direction regarding any future camp opportunities.
• Peace for our family as we navigate uncertainty.
• Continued growth in Brett's programs, work assignments, and service opportunities.
• Protection from disappointment if doors do not open as quickly as we hope.
• Courage to trust God regardless of the outcome.

Most of all, pray that we would remain faithful.

Because whether Brett comes home sooner than expected or serves every day of this sentence, we want our family to be found walking closely with Christ.

The Bigger Picture

One of the things that has encouraged me most is seeing how many conversations are now taking place around rehabilitation, second chances, and successful reentry.

For years, prison reform felt like a fringe conversation.

Today, it is increasingly becoming part of the national discussion.

Whether these recent BOP initiatives ultimately impact Brett's journey remains unknown.

But what I do know is this:

There is more hope today than there was a year ago.

More clarity than there was six months ago.

And more reason to keep praying than there was yesterday.

As I write this, I am reminded of something Brett recently told me:

"I can see the doors opening."

Not all at once.

Not overnight.

But slowly.

Steadily.

One conversation.

One opportunity.

One answered prayer at a time.

Maybe that's why this update feels different.

For the first time in a long time, we aren't just praying for endurance.

We're praying for direction.

We're praying for discernment.

And we're praying for the wisdom to recognize the doors God is opening as He continues writing our family's redemption story.

The road home may still be long.

For Brett, the goal has never simply been to get through prison.

The goal has been to use this season well.

To grow.

To serve.

To learn.

To become a living example of what rehabilitation can actually look like.

If the First Step Act was designed to encourage people to use their time productively and prepare for successful reentry, Brett hopes his journey can become evidence that those principles work.

Not because he deserves special treatment.

But because redemption is real, people can change, and public safety is strengthened when individuals return home equipped to succeed.

In many ways, that is what gives us hope as we watch these new developments unfold.

But for the first time, we can see a path beginning to take shape.

So that's exactly what we're going to do.

We're going to keep praying.

Keep believing.

Keep serving.

And keep trusting God with every step of the journey home.

With so much gratitude,

Noél Bartlett
Proud Prison Wives
"Bringing Light to the Brokenhearted & Hope Behind the Walls"