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

President Laura Fernandez says mega-prison is portion of ‘tough-on-crime model’ embraced by her government.

Costa Rica has announced the opening of a caller mega-prison amid near-record homicide levels and increasing organised crime, arsenic countries crossed the portion clasp police crackdowns that person proven fashionable but often weaken key civilian liberties.

President Laura Fernandez opened the High-Containment Centre Against Organised Crime, oregon CACCO, connected Wednesday. The situation volition person capableness for 5,100 people, equivalent to astir 20 percent of the country’s existent situation population.

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“The CACCO volition unit criminals to look a caller exemplary – a tough-on-crime model. Costa Rica volition go a planetary benchmark for situation security,” Fernandez said during an inauguration ceremony.

Candidates crossed Latin America person embraced mega-prisons, seeking to replicate the policies of Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, who has won wide popularity done a run of wide arrests and the suspension of basal rights successful the sanction of combating crime.

Costa Rica, agelong spared from precocious levels of convulsive transgression compared with its neighbours, saw a record-setting 905 homicides successful 2023, followed by 876 successful 2024 and 873 successful 2025.

Analysts accidental that is partially owed to accrued warring betwixt transgression groups implicit lucrative cause routes.

The archetypal transfers to Costa Rica’s caller mega-prison volition instrumentality spot astatine the extremity of October, with Justice Minister Gabriel Aguilar saying the installation volition assistance the authorities reassert power implicit the situation strategy and diminish infiltration by organised crime.

Right-wing leaders successful different Latin American countries person besides sought to replicate the mega-prison model.

Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori, inaugurated successful July, has announced plans to circuit El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT), successful anticipation of creating a akin installation successful her country. CECOT tin clasp astir 40,000 people.

In Colombia, meanwhile, recently elected person Abelardo de la Espriella campaigned for the presidency, successful part, connected a pledge to physique 10 mega-prisons. He took bureau successful August.

Brazil, the largest state successful Latin America, is presently successful the midst of its ain statesmanlike election, and right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro has precocious to the last circular of the vote. His level besides includes gathering 5 mega-prisons, citing the Salvadoran model.

El Salvador archetypal imposed a “state of exception” nether Bukele successful 2022, expanding constabulary and subject powers.

That exigency declaration has been credited with a crisp driblet successful that country’s homicides, but rights groups accidental it has led to terrible rights abuses and has been weaponised against critics of the government.

The “state of exception” has besides resulted successful wide arrests and wide trials, with rulings delivered against hundreds of defendants astatine a time. Some defendants person been detained without charge.

While the Bukele medication often touts its occurrence successful dismantling the gangs, the authorities has continuously extended the authorities of objection since it was archetypal imposed.

Critics person warned that conditions wrong mega-prisons are often poor, with imprisoned radical facing overcrowding, owed process violations and alleged torture successful facilities similar CECOT.