"El Salvador-Style Mega-Prisons" Spread Across Latin America... Costa Rica Opens One Too

Capacity for 5,100; Visits and Outdoor Time Restricted
Ecuador, Peru Also Eye Mega-Prisons

A massive prison modeled on El Salvador's notorious mega-prison, CECOT, has opened in Costa Rica, in Central America.

According to local daily La Nacion, AFP and other sources, the Costa Rican government held an opening ceremony on October 14 at the Center for Addressing Organized Crime (CACCO) in San Rafael de Alajuela.

The prison at the Organized Crime Response Center (CACCO) in San Rafael de Alajuela, Costa Rica, on the 14th (local time). EPA-Yonhap News Agency

The prison, located near the capital, San Jose, occupies a site measuring 31,000 square meters (about 9,400 pyeong) and can hold up to 5,100 people. It consists of five facilities, each with a capacity of 1,020. Inmates wear orange uniforms and are allowed outdoors for only one hour a day. Visits are also strictly restricted.

At the opening ceremony, Costa Rican President Laura Fernandez said, "I send a big, heartfelt embrace to our sister country El Salvador, which has played a decisive role in the fight against crime, and to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who supported this project and helped make it a reality." Fernandez, who took office in May, won election on a pledge to take a tough stance after crime surged in Costa Rica, once considered one of the safest countries in Central America.

President Fernandez and government officials are scheduled to visit El Salvador's CECOT prison on October 16 to examine its facilities and operating methods.

Right-wing governments in Latin America, struggling with drug trafficking and organized crime, are also focusing on El Salvador's success in cracking down on crime and moving ahead with plans to build mega-prisons.

Ecuador is building a prison with capacity for 15,000 inmates, while the Peruvian government is also considering constructing a large prison to hold members of drug cartels.

CECOT has helped significantly reduce crime in El Salvador, but it has also faced criticism over serious human rights violations. Since declaring a state of emergency in 2022, President Bukele has arrested and detained more than 90,000 people on suspicion of gang involvement. The Salvadoran nongovernmental organization Socorro Juridico said more than 500 of those detained had died in prison. Human rights groups estimate that about one-third of those arrested may be innocent civilians.

As international criticism intensified, President Bukele suggested on October 14 that large numbers of inmates could be released. He said 50% of inmates could be eligible for pardons and that a committee would review each case individually. However, he stressed that "the state of emergency will remain in place until every terrorist has been arrested."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.