President Laura Fernández inaugurated the $35 million megaprison built to house up to 5,100 inmates near San José. Posted on October 28, 2026October 28, 2026A newly opened maximum security megaprison in Costa Rica received its first group of inmates. The prison was built with the help of the Salvadoran government on the outskirts of the capital, San José, the country’s Ministry of Justice announced. Costa Rica’s Justice Ministry shared images Tuesday of 123 inmates dressed in orange, sitting with their heads shaved and bowed and their hands behind their necks. Recommended stories list of 4 articlesend of list“Costa Rica is writing a new chapter in its prison history,” said Justice Minister Gabriel Aguilar in a statement. It is called the High Containment Center Against Organized Crime (CACCO) and is a symbol of a new “tough on crime” approach defended by the administration of President Laura Fernández. It has capacity for 5,100 inmates. The CACCO was built with the help of the Salvadoran government on the outskirts of the Costa Rican capital, San José, at a cost of $35 million. Fernández inaugurated it on October 15. “The CACCO is a monument to national security, a forceful response to organized crime and a guarantee that the State will exercise its authority without hesitation,” the statement added. The new center has a capacity equivalent to 20 percent of the country’s prison population and “will also help reduce overcrowding in the prison system,” according to Aguilar. Costa Rica, long considered one of the safest countries in Latin America, has experienced a sharp increase in violence in recent years. linked to drug trafficking and organized crime. It witnessed a record 905 homicides in 2023, followed by 876 in 2024 and 873 in 2025. Authorities attribute most of the murders to disputes between criminal groups over drug trafficking routes and markets. Right-wing leaders in other Latin American countries have also tried to replicate the megaprison model.
