Latin America, Criminal Justice & Human Rights
Costa Rica opens 5,100-place high-containment prison as safeguards face scrutiny
Costa Rica inaugurated CACCO, a Salvadoran-inspired prison scheduled to begin transfers later in October. Officials cite organized crime; the national torture-prevention body says operating safeguards remain inadequate.
The prison opened before transfers begin
Costa Rica inaugurated the High-Containment Center Against Organized Crime, known as CACCO, on October 14. The maximum-security complex beside La Reforma prison in Alajuela cost about $35 million and has capacity for 5,100 people—roughly one-fifth of the country’s current prison population, Reuters reported. Officials said transfers would begin at the end of October after penitentiary police train on the five modules and security equipment. [1][3][4]
The government says CACCO will hold people already in high-containment custody who are accused or convicted of serious organized-crime activity, including prison leaders linked to extortion. CRHoy reported that President Laura Fernández also directed officials to include suspects accused of killing or attacking police. The reviewed sources do not include a binding placement regulation, individual review standard or appeal procedure. [4][1]
Officials point to record violence and organized crime
Costa Rica recorded 905 homicides in 2023, 876 in 2024 and 873 in 2025, according to judicial data cited by Reuters and EFE. Authorities attribute most killings to disputes over drug-trafficking routes and local markets. AP reported that the growth of the cocaine route through Caribbean ports and competition among foreign and local criminal groups helped push violence higher. Those trends explain the government’s security rationale but do not establish that expanded high-containment incarceration will reduce killings. [1][3][2]
CACCO was inspired by El Salvador’s CECOT, whose design was shared with Costa Rica. The facilities differ substantially in scale—CACCO is designed for 5,100 people, while CECOT is described as holding up to 40,000—and Costa Rica’s legal institutions remain distinct. Comparisons should therefore focus on disclosed rules and conditions rather than assume identical operation. [2][3]
The torture-prevention body says safeguards are not ready
On October 1, Costa Rica’s National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture urged authorities not to begin operating CACCO, saying minimum guarantees and standards were not in place. The oversight body called for solid rules defining technical and legal transfer criteria and custody conditions, with explicit protections against arbitrary decisions, political interference, stigma and discrimination. [5]
The mechanism’s warning followed a government video in which Justice Minister Gabriel Aguilar confronted prisoners and announced high-containment transfers. It said the video’s narrative suggested immediate decisions without due process, while acknowledging that it could not confirm whether transfers actually occurred that way. The concern is therefore about demonstrated official messaging and missing safeguards, not proof that every transfer was already unlawful. [5]
Before the first transfers, the government has not publicly resolved the oversight body’s request in the reviewed record. Key tests will be whether placement rules are published, medical and legal access is maintained, independent monitors can enter, and courts can review transfers and conditions. [5][4]
How the sources compare
| Source | What it adds | Scope or limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Reuters · English | The opening, capacity relative to the prison population, homicide series, official organized-crime rationale and end-of-month transfer schedule. | The dispatch does not provide the prison’s full operating rules or an independent conditions inspection. |
| Associated Press · English | Regional security context, the donated Salvadoran design and distinctions between Costa Rica’s crime trajectory and the CECOT model. | The contextual report cannot show how CACCO will operate once occupied. |
| EFE · Spanish, translated for this report | Cost, location, capacity, official statements and Costa Rican homicide figures from the inauguration. | The inauguration coverage relies heavily on government presentation and does not independently verify future effectiveness. |
| CRHoy · Spanish, translated for this report | The transfer timetable, announced placement profile and the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture’s detailed safeguard objections. | Two articles count as one newsroom origin; the oversight body could not confirm that threatened transfers shown in a ministry video were executed as described. |
What remains unclear
The final binding criteria, evidence standard and review process for placement in CACCO.
Whether the government will answer the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture before transfers begin.
Actual occupancy, cell conditions, medical access, legal visits and independent monitoring after opening.
Whether CACCO will relieve overcrowding elsewhere or simply expand the high-containment population.
What measurable effect, if any, the prison will have on organized crime and homicide rates.
Sources & translations
- Reuters — Costa Rica opens mega-prison as organized crime fight intensifies
- Associated Press — Costa Rica opens a Bukele-style mega-prison. Here’s how it got here
- EFE — Costa Rica inaugura la megacárcel modelo Bukele que aspira a ser un referente en seguridadThe Spanish report was reviewed and summarized in English; the cost, location, 5,100 capacity and homicide figures were preserved with attribution.
- CRHoy — Traslados de reos al Cacco comenzarán a finales de mesThe Spanish report was reviewed and summarized in English; transfer timing and the announced prisoner profile remain attributed to officials.
- CRHoy — Órgano contra la tortura rechaza trato de ministro a reosThe Spanish account of the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture’s warning was reviewed and summarized in English; the body’s inability to confirm whether threatened transfers occurred was retained.
Updates & corrections
- — Initial report separates the inauguration from the later transfer date, presents the government’s crime rationale and foregrounds the national torture-prevention body’s unresolved safeguards warning.