Costa Rica has opened a new mega-prison, the High-Containment Centre Against Organised Crime (CACCO), as part of a tough-on-crime approach adopted by President Laura Fernandez's government. The facility, inaugurated on Wednesday, has a capacity of 5,100 inmates, which represents about 20 percent of the country’s current prison population. President Fernandez stated that the CACCO aims to implement a new model for dealing with crime and enhance prison security in Costa Rica.
The opening of the mega-prison comes in response to increasing homicide rates, with Costa Rica recording 905 homicides in 2023, followed by 876 in 2024 and 873 in 2025. Analysts attribute the rise in violence to intensified conflicts among criminal groups over drug trafficking routes.
Justice Minister Gabriel Aguilar indicated that the new facility will help the government regain control over the prison system and reduce organized crime infiltration. The first transfers to the CACCO are expected to occur at the end of October.
The trend of establishing mega-prisons is gaining traction across Latin America, with leaders in various countries looking to replicate the policies of El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, who has implemented mass arrests and suspended certain civil rights to combat crime. Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori has expressed interest in visiting El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT), which can accommodate around 40,000 inmates, while Colombia's President Abelardo de la Espriella has pledged to build 10 mega-prisons. In Brazil, right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro has proposed constructing five mega-prisons as part of his campaign platform.
El Salvador's Bukele first declared a “state of exception” in 2022, which expanded police and military powers and has been linked to a significant decrease in homicides. However, human rights organizations have raised concerns about abuses associated with this state of exception, including mass arrests and trials, as well as poor conditions in mega-prisons like CECOT, where overcrowding and allegations of torture have been reported.