By Jon Zumkehr
I work at a federal prison. Not the kind you see in movies, with dramatic lighting and well-staffed guard towers. I work at a real one, where officers work 16-hour shifts until their vision blurs, where every piece of mail could contain lethal synthetic drugs, and where we’re one staffing shortage away from catastrophe.
As president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 4070 at Thomson Federal Prison, I don’t traffic in statistics. I deal in harsh reality. The reality is this: Our federal prison system is crumbling.
Walking through our metal detectors at 6 a.m., knowing you’ll likely be here past 10 p.m. because there’s no one else to take over.
Watching 400 inmates with a single officer because budget cuts left us no choice. This isn’t some worst-case scenario — it’s Tuesday.
The drug crisis has transformed our mailrooms into hazmat zones. Last month, we had another officer sent to the hospital after exposure to drugs inside Thomson Prison. While smugglers deploy sophisticated synthetic drugs and drones, we’re left fighting 21st-century threats with 20th-century tools. Meanwhile, bureaucrats debate whether modern detection equipment is really “cost-effective.”
| RELATED: How to buy fentanyl protection and detection products (eBook)
Washington’s response? More cuts. But let me translate what those cuts mean on the ground: Every time an officer leaves, the remaining staff shoulder an even heavier load. Every denied request for security upgrades puts lives at risk. Every delayed reform pushes our most experienced staff toward the exit, taking decades of invaluable expertise.
The solutions aren’t complicated. We need proper staffing levels — right now, we’re running with 125 vacant positions. We need up-to-date drug detection equipment and cell phone jamming technology. We need competitive pay that matches what Border Patrol and ICE offer, so our best officers stop leaving for safer jobs. What’s complicated is getting anyone in Washington to care.
To those controlling our budgets: Here’s an open invitation. Come work a shift at Thomson or any other of the 121 federal prisons. Stand in our shoes for just one day. Watch officers juggle impossible demands while wondering if they’ll make it home tonight. Then tell me we’re asking for too much.
Our officers didn’t sign up for easy work. We knew the risks when we took the oath, but we didn’t sign up to be abandoned by the system we serve. We’re not asking for special treatment — we’re asking for the bare minimum needed to do our jobs safely and effectively.
The strength of America’s justice system isn’t found in concrete walls or steel bars. It is found in the men and women who maintain order behind them. Right now, those men and women are sending a clear message: Without immediate action, this system will fail.
And when it does, it won’t just be our problem. It will be everyone’s.
About the author
Jon Zumkehr serves as the president of AFGE Local 4070, a union representing correctional officers and staff at the facility. Zumkehr has been recognized for his advocacy on behalf of prison employees, particularly in improving working conditions, staffing levels, and safety measures. In 2022, he was named the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) 2021 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year for his efforts. These efforts included securing pay raises, retention bonuses, and a direct hire authority to address staffing shortages at USP Thomson, as well as pushing for policy changes during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure inmate transfers were tested, reducing health risks for staff and inmates alike. His leadership has been credited with significant improvements in recruitment, retention, and workplace safety at the prison.
Zumkehr has also been vocal about ongoing challenges, such as drug exposure incidents among staff due to contaminated mail, staffing crises and mental health issues within the corrections community. He’s been involved in lobbying for legislative solutions, like funding mail screening programs to prevent narcotics from entering prisons.