A newly built facility designed to hold one-fifth of Costa Rica's entire prison population has opened its doors, marking a sharp pivot toward hardline security for a nation long spared the high violence of its regional neighbors. Built with capacity for 5,100 inmates, the High-Containment Centre Against Organised Crime (CACCO) reflects a broader regional shift toward tough anti-crime measures, even as rights advocates warn such policies threaten core civil liberties.
President Laura Fernandez inaugurated the complex on Wednesday, pledging that the institution will establish a "tough-on-crime model" and turn the country into a global benchmark for prison security. The government moved to construct the mega-prison after experiencing near-record homicide levels linked to territorial turf wars over lucrative drug routes, with murders reaching 905 in 2023, 876 in 2024, and 873 in 2025. Justice Minister Gabriel Aguilar confirmed that the first inmate transfers will begin at the end of October to help authorities regain control of the penal system and curb criminal infiltration.
Costa Rica's new strategy follows a wave of regional leaders eager to emulate President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, who achieved immense popularity through mass arrests and emergency powers. In Peru, President Keiko Fujimori announced plans to inspect El Salvador's 40,000-capacity Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT) before pursuing a similar project. Newly elected Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella campaigned on building ten mega-prisons, while Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro has pledged five facilities based on the Salvadoran model.
Although Bukele's measures coincided with a dramatic drop in El Salvador's homicide rate, rights organizations emphasize that the strategy relies on prolonged emergency decrees, mass trials, and detentions without charge. Watchdog groups also caution that mega-prisons often foster severe overcrowding, due process violations, and mistreatment, raising concerns over whether Costa Rica's turn toward mass confinement will compromise constitutional safeguards.