Eric Murray, Chair of Bargaining Unit 15, was invited to attend the Chicago Beyond 2025 National Justice Convening held October 29–30 in Chicago. This invitation-only event brought together correctional staff, administrators, formerly incarcerated individuals, union leaders, and justice advocates from across the country to reimagine safety and justice inside America’s jails and prisons.
Hosted by Chicago Beyond, the convening focused on the Holistic Safety Framework, which prioritizes wellness, dignity, and collaboration over control and compliance. The event featured a mix of keynote talks, breakout sessions, and working groups designed to foster honest dialogue and practical solutions.
One Voice United played a key role in the convening, contributing to a panel discussion titled “Barriers to Bridges.” The panel included formerly incarcerated individuals, correctional staff, and justice advocates. This mix of voices helped break down long-standing tensions between staff and formerly incarcerated people by surfacing shared experiences and stressors. Participants discovered they had more in common than expected, especially around feelings of isolation, burnout, and lack of support. One of the most powerful moments came when a formerly incarcerated panelist said, “It looked like the same list that we wrote, but they wrote the same list that we had,” highlighting how both groups had independently identified the same challenges. The panel helped shift the conversation from division to connection, showing that mutual understanding is possible and necessary for real change.
Participants engaged in:
- Workshops on staff wellness and trauma-informed care, aimed at reducing burnout and improving mental health support for correctional employees.
- Panels featuring formerly incarcerated individuals, who shared firsthand experiences and ideas for building trust and dignity inside facilities.
- Strategy sessions on policy reform, where union leaders and administrators discussed how to shift institutional culture toward shared safety and accountability.
- Networking opportunities, allowing attendees to build cross-state relationships and share best practices.
Murray’s participation reflects his growing role in national conversations about correctional reform and staff wellbeing. His presence ensured that California’s frontline voices were part of shaping future policy and practice.
“Being invited to the National Justice Convening was an honor. It was powerful to be in a room with people from across the country who are serious about changing how safety works in corrections. I came back with new tools, stronger connections, and a deeper commitment to making sure our members are part of the solutions, not just the systems.”
-Eric Murray