Heather Horst: A Case for Rehabilitation, Accountability, and Second Chances 

After nearly ten years of incarceration, Heather Horst represents a clear example of rehabilitation  grounded in accountability, service, and leadership. Her experience challenges assumptions about  who transforms in prison—and whether the justice system recognizes that transformation when it  occurs. 

Heather does not deny the harm that led to her incarceration. Instead, she has spent years  engaging in consistent accountability, personal growth, and repair, demonstrated through sustained conduct and service. This is not a story of sentiment. It is a documented case of rehabilitation. 

Leadership and Service During Incarceration 

Throughout her incarceration, Heather participated in restorative justice councils, peer recovery and  mentorship programs, conflict-resolution initiatives, and positive peer culture programming. These  roles require responsibility, emotional intelligence, and trust—skills directly linked to public safety  and successful reentry. 

Essential Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Heather assumed three essential roles simultaneously, including  biohazard sanitation and GED instructional support, contributing to institutional stability during a  public health crisis. 

Education, Faith, and Ongoing Accountability 

Heather’s rehabilitation has been supported by continuous education, structured reflection, and  faith-based programming. Reading and learning became tools for discipline, ethical growth, and  long-term change. 

Preparing for Life Beyond Incarceration 

Heather’s goals include pursuing law school, training in mediation and conflict resolution,  continuing advocacy and peer support work, and maintaining long-term personal discipline. These  goals are grounded in years of demonstrated responsibility. 

Why This Case Matters 

Heather’s case raises a critical question: does our justice system meaningfully recognize  rehabilitation when it occurs? Evidence shows that rehabilitation-focused pathways strengthen  public safety and system integrity. 

The Role of Compassionate Release and Second-Look Sentencing 

Second-look sentencing and compassionate release allow decision-makers to evaluate current risk,  consider documented rehabilitation, and align outcomes with public benefit.

Media Appearances

An Interview with Heather

• What does hope mean to you?

Hope to me is found in my faith and belief in Christ. Through His ways I pray to get a chance to live in society and work to repair the harm I’ve caused. That’s my big hope but my little hope is that I’ll be able to be with my family as they age and maybe have a family of my own.

• What would you do if you were released because of the HopeAct? How would you give back to your communities?

 If I was released because of the Hope Act? This is a five part answer. I’ve learned about the importance of balance through programs here. So I’ve broken this down into categories; work, volunteer, family, dreams, and education. Under the category of work, I have already found a place that will hire me when I am released and I have a back up job, in case I need more than one job. I plan to work for The Legal Revolution as a paralegal Monday-Friday and then work as A Peer Recovery Support Specialist as supplemental or as a back up. To keep balance with my mental and physical health I will continue doing as I do in here, training for 5k’s. I hope to run a marathon when I’m released. After work, I plan to focus on my educational goals or practice self-care. For education I will focus on my studies to go to law school and my studies to become an ADR specialist for The Supreme Court. For volunteer work, I will focus on three areas: restorative justice, my faith and therapy. For restorative justice I plan to volunteer at women’s shelters in order to continue the work I have done in here for over a decade. I’ve mentored women in toxic situations as a conflict coach and leader in my community. I’d also like to go to whispers of hope to receive Christian counseling and learn to become a faith based mentor. For my faith, I plan to join a Lutheran church that aligns with my faith and eventually travel back home to rejoin my home church. Which I’m still active in today. Sunday’s will be reserved for church, fellowship and family. My big dreams and life time goals are to create a prison fellowship academy retreat that is for anyone to learn the skills taught in that program and to take care of my parents as they age at home while I build my own family.

• What do you wish people outside understood about serving a life sentence? What is the hardest part about being incarcerated? 

The hardest part of incarceration is being away from my family as they age and a whole generation has grown up since my incarceration. I’m very active with the younger generation in my family but they only know me from being here. I haven’t held any of my family in over a decade. It’s been really hard watching my family love me so much, not be able to hold me, and jump through all of the hoops the DOC puts in place. It hurts to see them hurt because they love me so much.

• What have you learned from the struggles of being incarcerated?

I’ve learned how to set boundaries and keep them, how to lean on God and how to manage conflict. I’ve also become very creative in maintaining connection to the outside, developing a good relationship with friends, family and community and creating connections to the outside and inside community members.

• What has been the most meaningful work you’ve done inside? What has been your favorite program or job you’ve been involved in while incarcerated? Why is it your favorite?

It’s hard to pick the most meaningful work I’ve done but the first things that come to mind are my expungement work, feed my starving children events, positive peer culture groups, Restorative Justice council, holding three jobs during COVID, Peer recovery support specialist training and one on ones and conflict coaching often. All of this helped me grow and helped others but I also need to mention the work I did on myself. Prison Fellowship Academy changed my life, helping me to develop a relationship with God and gave me skills for community building, self development and allowed me to love myself. Then Enneagram helped me to deeply understand myself and my behaviors. My expungement work was impactful because I got to help others to get a 2nd chance at life that I may never get and certainly will never get with a clear record. I got to help people on the outside to be able to go on field trips with their kids and to be able to live without a Scarlett letter because they had gone above and beyond to follow the law and make reparations for their mistakes. Feed my starving children was impactful because since I was about seven I dreamed of being a doctor in Africa. I’ve always wanted to help countries that don’t have the comforts we do in America. Through FMSC events I was able to help children to eat that I will never meet. I may never get to be a mom and so the opportunity to help children was a beautiful opportunity. I got to help kids! Restorative Justice council work has been impactful because I’ve been able to hold myself accountable and work to repair harm in this community and on the outside through talking to college students from The University of Minnesota at the Just Us gardens in North Minneapolis. I live the way of life that is taught through Restorative Justice and being on the council has helped me to practice what I preach with a community that holds me accountable. During COVID I held three jobs and in some ways was a front line worker. I was a unit COVID cleaner that was responsible for cleaning after every day room time in order to prevent the spread of COVID. I was also on the biohazard crew and was trained to sanitize rooms where someone had tested positive. As if all of that wasn’t enough, I taught GED students in a mock classroom because the teachers couldn’t come into the facility. All of this helped me to realize my leadership potential and to navigate the struggles of a leadership role in this community. I’m very passionate about education and this helped deepen my appreciation of it. Conflict coaching has been super meaningful because daily I get practice managing the conflict of others. I’ve learned that conflict isn’t bad. It’s how we manage it that matters and it takes practice. I’m ten years well practiced at it and use it everyday in my own life too. 

As a PRS the training was impactful because I learned how to ask questions that open the conversation to give participants space to express themselves and I learned about my own recovery journey. As a facilitator of all recovery meetings and one-on-ones, I’ve learned the value of just listening. Through this program I have resources to manage my own recovery now and when I’m released and am able to walk alongside others to give them the same thing. Prison Fellowship Academy changed my life because it changed the way I think and most importantly I’ve developed a strong relationship with God. I use the skills taught in this year-long program everyday and try to teach others about it. In Enneagram I learned about how God created me uniquely and what those unique attributes are. I have God given gifts that I learned in PFA and in Enneagram I learned to better understand them and why I have reacted the ways I have. I learned about how to change my behaviors and understand my negative behaviors that led to my crime so I can explain it and prevent myself and others from making the same negative choices. 

These questions are centered around you and your personality, interests, and hobbies:

• What is your favorite food?

I love steamed white rice and chicken. My best friend in high school is Hmong and she made this for me when my cat died. She snuck out at night to bring me comfort as soon as possible. So, now it’s my go to comfort food. 

• What is your favorite tv show and/or movie?

My favorite TV show is Star Trek or Stargate because I used to watch it with my dad when I was younger and then I watch it with my husband on the weekends. It’s a comfort to me because I feel connected and remember the good times. My favorite movie is storm of the century by Stephen King. I love the scenery of the movie and my mom is a big fan of Stephen King and so it reminds me of her. 

• Do you have a favorite book? What is it and why?

I can’t pick one favorite book because there are so many. The Bible has to be my all time favorite because it has everything in it; adventure, romance etc. I really love 1984 for all of its depths and reminders to keep ourselves in check and I can relate with the dangers of power that is unchecked in our government. For just fun reading I really love anything by Ted Dekker or Ken Follett. Dekker is a Christian author that is really good at bringing the principles of the faith into a fictional world that feels real and Ken Follett writes historical fiction. I love anything history, especially before the 1900’s. I’m not into romance very much but F. Rivers is a really good Christian author that does a good job of giving perspective on romance. 

• Do you have any hobbies or special skills? Artistic pursuits?

Artistic aspirations… I have only gotten really good at it because I’ve developed my skills to better connect with my family and the larger community. I don’t consider myself much of an artist. I just really like making super thoughtful gifts that are memorable and important to someone. A few of my projects would be paintings that are actually paint by numbers that I added my own stuff to. I made two for the legal revolution to thank them for everything they did for me and to inspire future students in the program to have hope. I made a blanket with Jesus on the cross for my home church to hang on the wall. I also crochet a lot and make cards to say Thank you or happy birthday to various family members and community members. I crochet to connect with family. A few examples are that I made a tea mat for my little cousin so we could have tea ceremonies together and then as she got older I made her a bag to hold all of her make up kit in and unicorn slippers for self care. For my five little cousins that have been born since my incarceration, I make little kits for their birthdays and for this Christmas I sent little buckets that look like bears and they are full of crocheted snowballs. That way they can have an indoor snow ball fight. I sent these to them and to my niece. An example of a birthday kit for my little cousin who turned four, I sent a bag for her toys with her initial on it, a little owl hand puppet and I wrote out a few games and activities she could play that are educational and I crocheted a crown for her to tie on if she ever feels down.