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An experimental new program spearheaded by the Department of Justice and the Department of Corrections will place federal and state lawmakers, criminal court prosecutors and judges, wardens, and guards in five randomly-chosen prisons for a period of three days per year.

The National Prison Rehabilitation Program aims to give those in the prison-industrial complex the experience of those they condemn, and the time and space to discuss ideas for reform. It leverages empathy to reduce the incarceration rate in the U.S., the highest in the world by far.

“It’s part sentence, part all-expenses-paid meditation retreat,” said Department of Corrections head Tom Hayden. The conference-like structure will feature keynote speakers and breakout discussions. “Once we get some of these players together in these facilities, I think it’s pretty certain that great things will happen.”