Costa Rican President Laura Fernandez Delgado inaugurated a 5,100-inmate maximum-security prison on Wednesday. The facility is modeled on El Salvador’s controversial Terrorism Confinement Center, known as CECOT.
Named the High Containment Center for Organized Crime, the new installation sits alongside the La Reforma prison about 25 kilometres from the Costa Rican capital, San Jose. Authorities expect the facility to receive its first inmates by the end of October.
President Fernandez spoke at a news conference during the inauguration ceremony, stating that the opening marks a major shift in national security.
Fernandez told reporters she is certain the country is marking a before and after in prison security. She added that the nation will become a global benchmark for correctional facilities from this day forward.
The design of the new institution draws direct inspiration from CECOT. That massive Salvadoran prison was established under President Nayib Bukele as part of a severe government crackdown on organized crime.
Fernandez took office earlier this year. She has pledged to continue the security policies of her predecessor, Rodrigo Chaves Robles, who previously expressed admiration for the Salvadoran approach.
Chaves announced in 2025 that Costa Rica would obtain access to the blueprints and construction methods used in El Salvador. He noted that this cooperation would save Costa Rica about $25 million in construction costs.
El Salvador’s prison system faces intense international scrutiny. Critics have raised serious allegations of torture and other human rights violations within those facilities.
Human Rights Watch published a report in 2025 documenting accounts of repeated beatings, torture and sexual violence. Those abuses involved 252 Venezuelans who were deported to El Salvador by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
