Costa Rica opens mega-prison as Bukele model embraced across Latin America

What the report says

Costa Rica has opened a new high-security prison as the government responds to rising organised crime and near-record homicide levels. President Laura Fernandez inaugurated the High-Containment Centre Against Organised Crime, known as CACCO, in Alajuela on Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. The facility is designed to hold 5,100 people, roughly one-fifth of the country’s current prison population, and the first transfers are expected at the end of October.

Fernandez framed the project as part of a tougher law-and-order approach, saying the prison would help make Costa Rica a benchmark for prison security. Justice Minister Gabriel Aguilar said the centre is intended to help the state regain control of the prison system and reduce the influence of organised crime inside jails. The opening comes after Costa Rica recorded 905 homicides in 2023, then 876 in 2024 and 873 in 2025, amid fighting between criminal groups over drug routes.

The article places Costa Rica within a broader regional trend in which politicians are adopting policies associated with El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele. His mass-arrest strategy and expanded police powers have proved popular in some countries, though rights groups say they have also brought serious civil-liberties concerns. Al Jazeera notes that similar mega-prison proposals have been raised in Peru, Colombia and Brazil, reflecting growing support for hardline anti-crime measures across Latin America.

The report also highlights criticism that large prison facilities can involve overcrowding, weak due process and abuse, even when presented as tools to restore public security.