Reuters · October 14, 2026

Costa Rica Opens High-Containment Prison With Capacity for 5,100 Inmates

• President Laura Fernandez opened the High-Containment Center Against Organized Crime, near San Jose, on Wednesday, according to the report. The facility has capacity for 5,100 inmates, roughly 20% of the nation's current prison population.
• Costa Rica recorded 905 homicides in 2023, 876 in 2024 and 873 in 2025, according to judicial data cited in the report. Authorities have said most murders are linked to disputes among criminal groups over drug trafficking routes and local markets, according to the report.
• Fernandez announced a visit to El Salvador on Friday, according to the report. The new facility is modeled on El Salvador's prison built under President Nayib Bukele, according to the report.
• Rights groups say Bukele's crackdown has brought mass arbitrary detentions, due process violations and an erosion of democratic safeguards, according to the report. Judges and prosecutors in Costa Rica have warned against pressure on democratic checks and balances, according to the report.
• Justice Minister Gabriel Aguilar presented the facility as part of a broader effort regarding state control over the prison system, according to the report. The first transfers to the prison will take place at the end of October, according to the report.

Opening, capacity, homicide figures, statements and warnings via judicial data, Fernandez, Aguilar, judges, prosecutors and rights groups, cited in the original report. This card is based on the accessible portion only. Original headline: "Costa Rica opens mega-prison as organized crime fight intensifies".