Costa Rica has opened a new 5,100-bed mega-prison as President Laura Fernandez backs a tougher approach to organised crime. The move follows record homicide levels and mirrors policies linked to El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele.
01Summary
- 01President Laura Fernandez opened the High-Containment Centre Against Organised Crime, or CACCO, in Alajuela on Wednesday.
- 02The prison can hold 5,100 people, about 20 percent of Costa Rica’s current prison population.
- 03Costa Rica recorded 905 homicides in 2023, then 876 in 2024 and 873 in 2025.
- 04Justice Minister Gabriel Aguilar said the first transfers to the new prison will take place at the end of October.
- 05Leaders in Peru, Colombia and Brazil have also promoted plans inspired by El Salvador’s Bukele model.
02Why it matters
The opening shows how Latin American governments are turning to harsher prison policies in response to organised crime. It also raises concerns about civil liberties, prison conditions and the spread of the Bukele model beyond El Salvador.
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