Costa Rica Builds Mega-Prison Modeled on El Salvador's CECOT

New Mega-Prison in Costa Rica

• 🏗️ Costa Rica is constructing a new high-security mega-prison, with the foundation stone laid by President Rodrigo Chavez and El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele.
• 🇸🇻 The facility is modeled after El Salvador's CECOT mega-jail, with Bukele stating that everything done at CECOT will be reproduced in the Costa Rican version.

Capacity and Purpose

• 🏢 The new Costa Rican prison will have a capacity of 5,000 inmates.
• ⚖️ Its stated purpose is to incarcerate members of criminal organizations and help bring the country's overcrowded prison population back under capacity.

Context and Controversy

• 📈 Costa Rica is experiencing a surge in drug gang-related killings, making crime a significant issue.
• 🗳️ Critics suggest the new prison is a political move to buy votes using state finances ahead of the upcoming election.
• ⚠️ El Salvador's CECOT super prison, which inspired this project, is infamous for alleged human rights abuses.