Costa Rica inaugurates 5,100-capacity mega-prison as regional tough-on-crime trend spreads
President Laura Fernandez opened the 5,100-spot High-Containment Centre Against Organised Crime, Costa Rica’s new mega-prison, amid rising homicide rates.
On Wednesday, President Laura Fernandez formally opened Costa Rica’s High-Containment Centre Against Organised Crime (CACCO), a mega-prison built to hold 5,100 detainees, about 20 % of the country’s current prison stock. The facility is presented as a “global benchmark for prison security” and is intended to restore state control over prisons increasingly penetrated by organized crime groups fighting over drug routes, which have driven homicide counts to 905 in 2023, 876 in 2024 and 873 in 2025.
Justice Minister Gabriel Aguilar announced that the first inmates will be transferred by the end of October. Costa Rica’s shift follows a regional wave of right-wing leaders, including Peru’s Keiko Fujimori, Colombia’s Abelardo de la Espriella and Brazil’s Flavio Bolsonaro, who have all voiced support for massive incarceration complexes modeled on El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT) championed by President Nayib Bukele.
While Bukele’s “state of exception” has lowered homicide rates, critics warn that such mega-prisons often suffer from overcrowding, due process violations and alleged torture. Costa Rica’s adoption of the model signals a broader move toward tougher security policies across Latin America.
Why it matters
The new prison marks Costa Rica’s turn to harsh incarceration tactics, reflecting a regional shift that could affect civil liberties and crime-fighting strategies.
How the sides frame it
HIGH AGREEMENTAll camps report the opening of a 5,100-capacity high-security prison modeled on El Salvador’s facility and link it to a surge in organized-crime violence, but left-leaning coverage emphasizes the prison as a regional “tough-on-crime” benchmark, center coverage highlights the Salvadoran model and the president’s firmness, and right-leaning coverage stresses the intensified fight against crime.
LEFT
Frames the prison as a regional tough-on-crime benchmark intended to restore state control amid rising homicides.
CENTER
Frames the prison as a high-security facility inspired by Bukele’s anti-gang mega-prison, showcasing the president’s firmness against organized crime.
RIGHT
Frames the prison as a step-up in the fight against organized crime following a surge in killings.
The left emphasises
- “global benchmark for prison security”
- restore state control over prisons
- homicide counts rising to 905 in 2023
The right emphasises
- intensifies fight against organized crime
- surge in killings in a historically safe country
- capacity for 5,100 inmates, about 20% of prison stock
In this story
Related stories
2 in this thread