Costa Rica Inaugurates Maximum-Security Prison Inspired by El Salvador’s CECOT

By Staff, Agencies

Costa Rican President Laura Fernandez Delgado inaugurated a new maximum-security prison with a capacity of 5,100 inmates on Wednesday, drawing inspiration from El Salvador’s controversial Terrorism Confinement Center [CECOT] as part of efforts to intensify the country’s fight against organized crime.

The new High Containment Center for Organized Crime [CACCO], intended to house high-profile criminals, is located next to La Reforma prison, approximately 25 kilometers [15.5 miles] from the capital, San Jose. The facility is expected to receive its first inmates by the end of October.

Speaking at the inauguration, Fernandez described the opening as a major milestone in the country’s efforts to strengthen its prison system and national security.

“I am certain that today we are marking a before and after in prison security and national security as a whole,” she said.

“From this day forward, our country will be a global benchmark for prison security,” she added.

The facility is modeled on CECOT, the large-scale prison established under Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele as a central component of his government’s crackdown on organized crime and criminal gangs.

Fernandez, who assumed office earlier this year, has pledged to maintain the security policies pursued by her predecessor, Rodrigo Chaves Robles, who has expressed admiration for Bukele’s approach to combating crime.

In 2025, Chaves announced that Costa Rica would obtain access to the designs, blueprints and construction techniques used in El Salvador’s prison facilities. He said the cooperation would help Costa Rica save approximately $25 million in construction costs.

However, El Salvador’s prison system has drawn international criticism over allegations of torture and other serious human rights abuses.

A 2025 report by Human Rights Watch documented accounts of repeated beatings, torture and sexual violence involving 252 Venezuelans deported to El Salvador by the administration of US President Donald Trump.

The inauguration of CACCO highlights Costa Rica’s move toward a tougher security model inspired by El Salvador’s prison policies, while renewed attention remains on concerns over prison conditions, the treatment of detainees, and the protection of human rights.