Costa Rica's new $35m maximum-security prison holds its first 123 inmates
The facility, built with Salvadoran assistance and designed for 5,100 prisoners, opened in October to address record homicide rates.
By Noor Graham ·
Costa Rica’s newly built maximum-security prison has received its first batch of 123 inmates. The Justice Ministry released images on Tuesday showing the prisoners in orange uniforms with shaved heads, seated with hands behind their necks.
The facility, named the High-Containment Center Against Organized Crime or CACCO, is located on the outskirts of San Jose. President Laura Fernandez inaugurated the site on October 15. It was constructed with assistance from the Salvadoran government at a cost of $35 million.
Justice Minister Gabriel Aguilar described the opening as a new chapter in the country’s penitentiary history. He stated that the center serves as a monument to national security and a guarantee that the state will exercise its authority without hesitation. The administration views the prison as a symbol of a tougher approach to crime.
The CACCO has a capacity for 5,100 inmates, which represents 20 percent of Costa Rica’s total prison population. Aguilar said the new facility will help reduce overcrowding in the existing system.
The construction follows a period of rising violence in a country previously considered one of the safest in Latin America. Authorities reported 905 homicides in 2023, 876 in 2024, and 873 in 2025. Officials attribute most of these killings to disputes between criminal groups over drug trafficking routes and markets.
Other right-wing leaders in Latin America have sought to replicate this mega-prison model. The CACCO represents the first major expansion of Costa Rica’s secure detention infrastructure under Fernandez’s presidency.
Source: Al Jazeera
