Editor’s note: Suicide is always preventable. If you are having thoughts of suicide or feeling suicidal, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline immediately at 988. Counselors are also available to chat at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org. Remember: You deserve to be supported, and it is never too late to seek help. Speak with someone today.
THOMSON, Ill. — The union representing correctional officers at Federal Correctional Institution Thomson is stepping up efforts to address a crisis affecting its members: suicide.
AFGE Local 4070 announced a $4,000 donation to The Gray Matters Collective, a nonprofit focused on mental health support for first responders. The funds will be used to expand suicide prevention and wellness resources for Bureau of Prisons staff and their families.
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The Sept. 3 announcement comes alongside the union’s second annual Suicide Prevention Awareness Walk, an event designed to bring visibility to the mental health struggles faced by correctional officers.
Research shows correctional officers die by suicide at rates significantly higher than the general public, police officers and even military veterans, according to AFGE. Chronic staffing shortages, mandatory overtime, and repeated exposure to violence and trauma are fueling what experts describe as “corrections fatigue.”
“Correctional officers are more likely to die by suicide than police officers, but we’re largely left out of mental health initiatives for first responders,” said Jon Zumkehr, president of AFGE Local 4070. “We have lost far too many lives to suicide, and I have seen it firsthand. Our time is now to address this crisis.”
In partnership with The Gray Matters Collective, the union has installed large 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline signs in high-traffic areas of the prison, distributed magnets with local mental health contacts to officer stations and supported suicide prevention training for 24 staff members. A new support group for correctional officers and first responders, staffed by a licensed therapist, has also been launched.
Haley DeGreve, founder of The Gray Matters Collective, said the goal is to dismantle stigma.
“We must help officers understand it’s okay not to be okay — there are resources to aid healing,” she said.
AFGE Local 4070 has also worked with lawmakers to push for legislative solutions. After the 2023 suicide of an officer at Thomson, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks introduced the Corrections Officer Blake Schwarz Suicide Prevention Act, with Rep. Eric Sorensen as a co-sponsor. Both legislators have spoken publicly about the toll corrections work takes on employees and the need for more accessible mental health care.
Union leaders argue that change requires more than grassroots initiatives.
“We need Congress to step up. We need the Bureau of Prisons to step up. We need our leaders to do more than just say they care,” Zumkehr said.
AFGE District 7 Vice President Jason Anderson said addressing officer well-being is a necessity, not an option.
“These officers often serve under extraordinary pressure in environments that take a real toll on their well-being,” Anderson said. “Improving access to mental health resources and destigmatizing the need for help are essential.”
AFGE National President Everett Kelley commended Local 4070’s efforts, saying the union is “reshaping the culture of corrections” by prioritizing mental health.
