Legislative Opportunities to Advance Human-Centered Leadership
While the field of Human‑Centered Leadership is still emerging, there is already meaningful potential for policy innovation. To date, the concept has generated bipartisan interest and broad support from stakeholders throughout corrections including academics, wardens, correctional officers, incarcerated people and families.
Below are legislative ideas that have surfaced as promising avenues for change. These are not exhaustive; they’re starting points for policymakers, funders, and institutional leaders who want to strengthen workplaces, improve outcomes, and invest in people.
*If invited, Humans First Productions policy and practice experts are happy to provide technical assistance or draft sample language to help move any of these ideas forward.
The OSHA Model for Psychological Safety
Like OSHA, the proposed legislation would enable an agency to conduct surprise inspections and collect data from the workplace (in correctional facilities), assessing the level of safety. But instead of focusing on physical safety, this legislation would focus on psychological safety, using surveys defined by top experts in the field and institutional data (i.e. number of violent incidents, staff turnover rates, recidivism, etc.) to determine metrics.
However, unlike the OSHA model where institutions that don't make the grade pay a fine, the correctional facilities with the lowest scores with this legislation would trigger a comprehensive support package to help create psychological safety and improve workplace culture. (For more information on what the support package could look like, or for legislative language, please contact us).
The Workplace Psychological Safety Act in Corrections
In 2025, Rhode Island introduced one of the country’s first attempts to define, measure, and enforce psychological safety in the workplace through the Workplace Psychological Safety Act (RI S0959). The legislation outlined clear definitions of workplace bullying, established an employee’s right to a psychologically safe environment, and required employers to take meaningful steps to prevent and address harmful leadership behaviors. You may consider bills that replicate the heart of this work, while making it policy-amenable for your region.
Fund Pilot Programs
Funding pilot programs is an easy way to identify the most effective strategies for ensuring Human-Centered Leadership, while allowing for innovation and policy refinement at the ground level. We recommend two kinds of pilots to support this work:
1. Transform HR practices: Work with HR departments within correctional agencies and/or facilities to try out new practices that have a stronger emphasis on recruiting, selecting, and promoting Human-Centered Leaders. This could include modifying recruitment campaigns, hiring protocols, or providing training for those in charge of candidate interviews.
2. Develop Multi-Stakeholder Teams: Bring leaders, staff, (and if appropriate incarcerated people) to create strategic plans for improving relationships across the community, while ensuring training in key Human-Centered Leadership skills.