Scaling Up: Restoring Promise and Statewide Prison Culture Change

Together, Vera, MILPA, and departments of correction nationwide have demonstrated that when prison environments center human dignity, they foster safety in prisons, strengthen the wellness of corrections staff, and create a prison culture where everyone can thrive. Designed for Dignity is an evolution of the Restoring Promise approach, scaling lessons learned from shifting culture through policy, practice, and physical environment changes at the housing unit level to transform statewide policies, practices, and training across an entire agency.

Through eight years of research and practice, we’ve learned change is possible and what works. Our focus areas are:

• Dynamic security. Staff and incarcerated people have positive relationships and interactions where everyone is treated fairly and opportunities exist for purpose-filled, constructive activities for all.
• Normalcy. Living and working conditions in prison resemble those in the outside world as closely as possible, staff have safe and healthy working conditions, and incarcerated people feel they have access to basic human rights.
• Restorative practices. Conflict resolution and community building approaches emphasize accountability, repairing harm, and restoring relationships rather than punishment or retribution.
• Family engagement and partnership. The families of both staff and incarcerated people, community organizations, and those most impacted by incarceration are partners in ways that acknowledge, respect, and facilitate strong connections.

Centering Human Dignity

Vera’s Dignity Principles provide a powerful roadmap for improving the conditions of confinement in prisons and jails.

Drawing inspiration from the Nelson Mandela Rules and shaped by the lived experience of incarcerated people, corrections professionals, and advocacy partners, these dynamic principles help transform how our correctional systems function. They encourage departments of corrections to align policies and practices with a human dignity framework—one that affirms the humanity, safety, and well-being of both incarcerated people and corrections staff.

Designed for Dignity: A New Approach for Transforming Prison Culture Statewide

Vera’s technical assistance through Designed for Dignity helps departments of correction assess statewide prison culture, align policies and practices to the Dignity Principles, and map a plan for sustainable change. This transformation process is led by corrections staff and incarcerated people, who collaborate with agency leadership to:

1. identify areas of opportunity using Vera’s comprehensive research assessing statewide prison culture;
2. set goals for change;
3. rewrite policy centered on human dignity through workshops and workgroups;
4. shape and implement policy change grounded in real-world experience; and
5. continuously test what works and plan for long-term success.

Building a Dignity-Driven Future for People in Prison

At its core, Designed for Dignity leverages over a decade of Restoring Promise’s lessons learned and the guidance outlined in the Dignity Principles to offer a path forward—one that replaces outdated models with a prison culture of care, accountability, and possibility. As we expand this work, we invite policymakers, advocates, and corrections leaders to join us. Together, we can create safer, healthier, and more just environments where human dignity isn’t a goal—it's a guarantee.