Costa Rica to Open Bukele-Style Mega-Prison Across Latin America
President Laura Fernández says the mega-prison is part of the "tough-on-crime model" adopted by her government.
Costa Rica has announced the opening of a major new prison amid near-record levels of homicides and a rise in organized crime, as countries across the region welcome a police crackdown that has proven to be but often undermines key civil liberties.
President Laura Fernandez inaugurated the High Control Center Against Organized Crime, or CACCO, on Wednesday. The capacity of this prison is 5100 people, which is equivalent to about 20% of the current prison population of the country.
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"CACCO will force criminals to face a new model - a tough-on-crime model. Costa Rica will become a global benchmark for prison security," Fernández said at the inauguration.
Across Latin America, candidates have embraced mass prisons and seek to replicate the policies of El Salvador's Vice President Buccle, who has gained wide popularity through a campaign of mass arrests and basic rights suspensions in the name of fighting crime.
Costa Rica, which has long been spared high levels of violent crime compared to its neighbors, saw a record 905 murders in 2023, followed by 876 in 2024 and 873 in 2025.
Analysts say this is partly due to increased conflict between criminal gangs over lucrative drug routes.
The first transfers to Costa Rica's new mega-penitentiary will take place at the end of October, and Justice Minister Gabriel Aguilar said the facility will help the government regain control of the prison system and reduce the influence of organized crime.
Right-wing leaders in other Latin American countries have also sought to replicate the macro-prison model.
Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori, who was inaugurated in July, has announced plans to visit El Salvador's detention center for terrorism (CECOT) with a view to establishing a similar facility in his country. CECOT can accommodate about 40,000 people.
Meanwhile, in Colombia, newly elected leader Abelardo de la Sprilla campaigned for president in part on a pledge to build 10 large prisons. He came to power in August.
Brazil, Latin America's largest country, is currently in the midst of its presidential election, with right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro making it to the final round of voting. His platform also includes the construction of five large prisons based on the Salvadoran model.
El Salvador first imposed a "state of emergency" in 2022 under Bukele, expanding police and military powers.
The emergency declaration has led to a sharp drop in murders in that country, but human rights groups say the declaration has led to gross rights abuses and has been used against critics of the government.
The "state of emergency" has also led to mass arrests and mass trials and sentencing of hundreds of people. At one time, some of the accused were arrested without charge.
While the Bokele administration repeatedly touts its success in cracking down on gangs, the government has continually extended the state of exception since it was first enacted.
Critics have warned that conditions inside large prisons are often poor, with inmates facing overcrowding, judicial violations and alleged torture at facilities like CECOT.