Costa Rica launches a 5,100‑spot mega-prison, joining a regional wave of hardline security hubs inspired by El Salvador.
On Wednesday President Laura Fernandez unveiled Costa Rica’s newest correctional facility, the High-Containment Centre Against Organized Crime – widely known by its acronym CACCO. The inauguration marks the country’s most ambitious expansion of its prison system in decades, reflecting a broader shift toward a tough-on-crime paradigm across the region.
Opening of CACCO and its intended role
Built to accommodate 5,100 inmates CACCO represents roughly 20 percent of the nation’s total prison population. During the ceremony, President Fernandez declared, “The CACCO will force criminals to face a new model – a tough-on-crime model.
Costa Rica will become a global benchmark for prison security.” Justice Minister Gabriel Aguilar added that the first transfers to the complex are scheduled for the end of October emphasizing that the centre is designed to restore governmental control over the penitentiary system and to limit the infiltration of organized crime networks.
Rising violence and the demand for harsher measures
While Costa Rica has traditionally been viewed as a relatively peaceful enclave in Central America, recent years have seen a sharp uptick in lethal violence. Official statistics recorded 905 homicides in 2023 followed by 876 in 2024 and 873 in 2025. Analysts link this surge to intensified clashes between criminal factions vying for lucrative drug-trafficking corridors that cut through the country. The mounting insecurity has amplified public anxiety, with many citizens supporting stronger punitive tools to counter the growing threat.
Regional adoption of the Bukele-style mega-prison model
The Costa Rican initiative mirrors a trend sparked by El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele. In 2022 Bukele declared a state of exception expanding police and military powers, which was credited with a notable decline in homicides. However, the same emergency framework has drawn criticism for mass arrests, bulk trials, and detentions without formal charges, raising alarms about due-process violations.
El Salvador’s flagship facility, the Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT) can hold approximately 40,000 people. Its perceived success has inspired several right-wing leaders across Latin America:
- Keiko Fujimori inaugurated as Peru’s president in July announced plans to visit CECOT with the intention of reproducing a similar structure in her country.
- Abelardo de la Espriella who assumed Colombia’s presidency in August campaigned on a promise to construct 10 mega-prisons.
- In Brazil, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro advanced to the final round of the presidential race, campaigning on a platform that includes building five mega-prisons modeled after El Salvador’s approach.
These developments illustrate a growing consensus among right-leaning administrations that large-scale, high-security prisons are a viable tool to combat entrenched criminal organizations.
Human-rights concerns surrounding mega-prisons
Despite their popularity, mega-prisons have attracted scrutiny from civil-rights advocates. Critics point to chronic overcrowding, limited access to legal counsel, and reports of torture within facilities such as CECOT. The mass-arrest tactics employed under Bukele’s emergency measures have been described as a “weaponisation” of the justice system against political opponents, underscoring the delicate balance between security and liberty that countries like Costa Rica must navigate.
As Costa Rica embarks on this new chapter, the effectiveness of CACCO in curbing organized crime will be closely watched, while the broader regional experiment with ultra-large penitentiaries continues to provoke debate over the long-term implications for human rights and public safety.
