I was scrolling through social media recently, as I often do in the evenings before bed, when I came across a post I’ve seen far too many times before. You know the one—a correctional officer’s badge, a black mourning band draped across it, silently announcing the loss of another brother or sister behind the walls.
It’s always sad. My first instinct is to wonder if it was someone I knew—someone I had worked with, trained alongside, or crossed paths with over the years. But this time, what struck me most wasn’t the image or the announcement. It was the very first comment under the post.
Two words.
“Who now?”
The two words hit harder than the image. Their meaning was unmistakable, the truth undeniable: far too many posts like this, far too many corrections professionals lost too soon, some to suicide. The statistics back it up. And the weight of it keeps building. We’ve all felt it.
But instead of just mourning and moving on, I want to turn that question into a challenge for every corrections professional in the nation—from cadets to commissioners, from office clerks to wardens, and everyone in between.
Who now?
Who now will step up and make staff wellness a non-negotiable investment—woven into the fabric of our agencies rather than treated as an afterthought?
Who now will ensure budgets, resources, time, and genuine support are dedicated to curriculum, peer support training, and family outreach programs that actually make a difference?
Who now will stand up and say “Enough!” to corrections fatigue and the way it erodes workforce culture, harms families, and damages every dimension of health?
Who now will refuse to wait for the next tragedy before acting?
Because until we start answering this question with meaningful, sustained action, we will keep finding ourselves scrolling through our feeds, staring at another mourning badge, and asking—yet again—“Who now?”
