#ILEETA Live – An interview with Michael Cantrell and Gary York
ILEETA Live Show Notes – July 2025 Episode
Featuring Michael Cantrell and Gary York
A conversation on corrections, collaboration, and building trainers from the inside out.
The July 2025 episode of ILEETA Live brought the world of corrections front and center with two exceptional guests: Michael Cantrell, host of The Prison Officer Podcast, and Gary York, columnist, author, and corrections SME for the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
The evening opened with hosts Brian Hill and Todd Fletcher sharing important updates from the ILEETA community:
🎯 Conference Registration for #ILEETA2026 is now open, with early bird pricing available through October 31, 2025.
🧩 Bundle memberships are helping agencies register more instructors at a discount.
✍️ Instructor proposals are due by October 31 — and submissions are already on track to break records.
📚 Journal article submissions are due by September 10. If you’ve ever considered writing, now is the time.
🎓 Scholarship applications open December 1 for the 2026 conference.
This month also marked the debut of sponsor recognition on ILEETA Live, with a shoutout to Correctional News for supporting the July broadcast.
🔍 ILEETA Legal Update: Barnes v. Felix
The new ILEETA Legal Update segment featured Duane Wolfe, who broke down the implications of Barnes v. Felix — a case that reaffirmed the totality-of-circumstances standard in use-of-force reviews. Wolfe urged trainers to double down on scenario-based training, review policy language, and adopt holistic documentation practices.
👮♂️ Corrections in Focus: A Candid Conversation
Michael Cantrell and Gary York brought decades of correctional experience, leadership insight, and heartfelt stories to the conversation. Key themes included:
Leading without rank: Correctional officers lead every day, often without formal titles. From influencing inmates to mentoring new staff, both guests emphasized that leadership in corrections is lived, not labeled.
Corrections as community: Cantrell described prisons as “small cities,” where communication, coordination, and cross-agency collaboration are essential — especially in investigations and critical incidents.
Bridging the gap: Both guests called for stronger integration between corrections and traditional law enforcement, highlighting the value of joint training, mutual respect, and shared goals.
Recruitment & retention: One consistent message—invest in your trainers. Corrections professionals who are well-trained, supported, and empowered are more likely to stay and lead.
Training culture shift: Both speakers advocated moving beyond checkbox compliance training toward purpose-driven instruction, mentorship, and leadership development.
📘 Instructor Development Tip: “Let Silence Do the Heavy Lifting”
Deputy Director Joe Willis delivered this month’s instructor development segment, challenging trainers to:
“Become conversant in the topics you teach.”
Drawing on concepts from Make It Stick, Joe reminded instructors to use silence, spacing, and varied environments to allow deeper learning. Trainers were encouraged to create moments that let the learner engage, reflect, and respond — not just receive.
🚨 Key Dates for #ILEETA2026
Instructor Proposals Due: October 31, 2025
Early Bird Registration Ends: October 31, 2025
Journal Submissions Due: September 10, 2025
Scholarship Applications Open: December 1, 2025
First Draft of Schedule Released: December 10, 2025
Conference Dates: March 16–21, 2026
💬 Final Thoughts
This episode was a call to action — to expand the tent, bridge silos, and welcome more correctional professionals into the ILEETA family. Michael and Gary emphasized that great training transcends uniforms and that trainers in corrections have wisdom worth sharing.
As Gary York put it:
“We all meet at the courthouse in the end. Let’s train like it.”
And from Michael Cantrell:
“A well-trained officer walks through the gate with confidence. That’s how we keep them, and that’s how we lead.”
For those looking to grow, write, teach, or simply connect with like-minded professionals, ILEETA is the place to do it.
Watch the full episode and explore upcoming shows:
👉 https://www.ileeta.org/ileetalive/
Interested in presenting in 2026?
👉 https://www.ileeta.org/conference/
In the interest of transparency, this post was reviewed and improved by AI.
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