Being a correctional officer is a demanding job even under the best of circumstances. Officers encounter severe workplace stressors including unpredictable shifts, mandatory overtime, high-risk situations, and what experts call “corrections fatigue.” Many work six or seven days a week, with shifts extending up to 16 hours due to chronic staffing shortages.
Over a 20-year career, the average first responder experiences more than 800 traumatic or critical incidents. Correctional officers face a suicide rate that’s seven times higher than the general population and far higher than police office or even military veterans.
In March 2023, after losing a colleague at Thomson Federal Prison to suicide, AFGE Local 4070 partnered with Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who introduced the Corrections Officer Blake Schwarz Suicide Prevention Act. Cosponsored by Rep. Eric Sorensen, the bill aims to bring urgently needed mental health resources to those on the front lines. Both representatives have spoken on the House floor, highlighting the trauma correctional officers endure and the lack of available support.
And on Sept. 3, the local announced a $4,000 donation to The Gray Matters Collective, funding critical mental health support for correctional officers and their families in the local community. The local also held its second annual Suicide Prevention Awareness Walk, reinforcing its commitment to breaking the silence around mental health in corrections.
“This partnership represents more than a donation—it's a commitment to breaking the silence around mental health in corrections,” 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.”
The union’s partnership with The Gray Matters Collective is already bringing real change. Twenty-four staff members have completed ASSIST suicide prevention training. Large 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline signs have been installed at the sallyport so staff see them every day, while magnets with local mental health resources now appear in every officer station and on every fridge. With The Gray Matters Collective, the union has launched a support group for first responders and correctional officers — staffed by a licensed therapist — to provide a safe space for healing.
“We can no longer stand by and watch correctional officers protect our public, yet suffer from mental illness and suicidal ideation in silence,” said Haley DeGreve, founder and president of The Gray Matters Collective. “We must dismantle first responder mental health stigma, work to get first responders stronger care, and help them understand it's okay not to be okay—there are resources to aid healing!”
Federal correctional officers often serve under extraordinary pressure and in environments that take a real toll on their well-being, AFGE District 7 National Vice President Jason Anderson said.
“As a union, AFGE recognizes that prioritizing the mental health of our correctional officers is not just a moral responsibility, it is a critical necessity,” he said. “Improving access to mental health resources and destigmatizing the need for help are essential to protecting their safety, supporting their families, and sustaining the effectiveness of our federal correctional system overall.”
AFGE National President Everett Kelley also praised the initiative.
“Our correctional officers face some of the most dangerous and traumatic conditions in federal service, yet too often, their mental health is overlooked,” Kelley said. “I want to commend AFGE Local 4070 for their courageous and compassionate leadership in launching this initiative. By breaking the silence around suicide and mental health, they are not only saving lives—they are reshaping the culture of corrections. This is the kind of union-led advocacy our country needs, and AFGE stands firmly behind them in this life-saving work.”
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