Costa Rica Sets 14 October Opening for Gang Prison
SECURITY · COSTA RICA
Key Facts
- —The country Costa Rica is a Central American democracy of about five million people that abolished its army in 1948. It is a leading destination for US tourists and a transit route for cocaine heading north.
- —Why it matters Costa Rica recorded 870 homicides in 2025, according to Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) open data. The new prison is the government’s flagship answer to gang violence.
- —Why now President Laura Fernández said in a national broadcast on Sunday 4 October that the prison is ready. It was first promised for late July.
- —What happened The Presidency set the opening of the High-Containment Centre against Organised Crime (CACCO) for Wednesday 14 October, 12:30 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. ET), at La Reforma in Alajuela.
- —The numbers Five modules of 1,020 inmates each, about 5,100 places, under a build contract worth US$33.2 million awarded on 2 November 2025. Homicides to 30 September: 623, against 658 a year earlier (OIJ via El Observador).
- —What it means for you The US State Department rates Costa Rica Level 2, “exercise increased caution”, citing crime (advisory of 2 April 2026). The Costa Rica high-security prison targets gang leaders, not tourist areas.
- —Still open Which inmates move first, when transfers start, staffing, yearly running costs and how independent monitors will inspect conditions have not been published.
The Costa Rica high-security prison for organised crime opens on Wednesday 14 October, the Presidency said on Sunday night. The centre, modelled on El Salvador’s CECOT, stands in the La Reforma prison complex in Alajuela.
For Americans who know Costa Rica for beaches and rainforest, it signals a harder line against drug gangs on a cocaine route north. President Laura Fernández, who succeeded Rodrigo Chaves in May, announced the date in a national broadcast on 4 October.
Fernández said the centre “is ready”. The ceremony starts at 12:30 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. ET) and will be streamed on YouTube, Infobae reported.
A Prison Modelled on El Salvador’s CECOT
Its official name is the High-Containment Centre against Organised Crime, known by its Spanish initials CACCO. It sits in San Rafael de Alajuela, west of the capital, San José.
El Salvador’s government donated the plans, and the design is inspired by its Terrorism Confinement Centre, known as CECOT, La Nación reported. CECOT became known in the United States in 2025, when Washington sent deported Venezuelans there.
The Costa Rican version is far smaller. It holds about 5,100 inmates, against up to 40,000 at CECOT, according to La Nación.
Five modules will each hold 1,020 people, the government says.
The Justice Ministry awarded the build contract on 2 November 2025 to the firm Edificadora Centroamericana Rapiparedes, known as Edificar. The price was US$33.2 million including taxes, under an emergency procedure that took less than three weeks.
Who Will Be Held There
The government says the prison is for the highest-risk inmates: organised-crime leaders, violent prisoners, people facing extradition and inmates needing special protection. La República listed those groups on Monday, citing the government.
The Justice Ministry has said “high containment” means extra restrictions to stop gang members running operations from inside, Infobae reported. Placement will depend on technical prison criteria, the government says.
On an earlier site visit, Fernández spoke directly to young people drawn to crime. “Think about the sunlight you will get before you gamble your freedom, because we are coming for you,” she said, per La República.
The project has run late. When Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, whose gang crackdown inspired the model, attended the groundbreaking in January, then-president Rodrigo Chaves promised the work in 195 days.
That deadline fell on 27 July and was missed, La Nación reported. The ministry said works were 95% complete on 21 September and that inmate transfers are being scheduled.
What the Homicide Figures Show
Costa Rica recorded 623 homicides from 1 January to 30 September 2026, according to OIJ figures reported by El Observador. That is 35 fewer than in the same period of 2025.
The last two months moved the other way. August rose from 67 killings in 2025 to 88 this year, and September from 70 to 79.
Together that is a 21.9% year-on-year rise across the two months. Limón, the Caribbean province around the main container port, has 161 homicides so far, 29 more than a year ago.
OIJ’s open-data portal still lists fewer 2026 cases, 559 to 30 September, so this year’s figures may change. It shows 870 homicides in 2025 and more than 3,300 from 2022 to 2025.
OIJ analysis attributes more than half of killings to score-settling or revenge, Monumental reported. Many victims are young: 64.4% were aged 18 to 39 this year, El Observador reported.
What Supports the Plan, and What Could Weaken It
The prison has broad public backing. A survey by Latinobarómetro, the Chile-based regional polling firm, found most Costa Ricans see no harm in a tough approach, as reported in Costa Rica Poll Finds 89% Say Iron Fist Does No Harm.
Costa Rica’s institutions also remain strong by regional standards. Independent courts, an active press and the ombudsman’s office scrutinise prison policy and conditions.
The risks are familiar from elsewhere in the region. Ecuador shows that isolating gang leaders can split groups without ending violence, as reported in Cárcel del Encuentro Splits Ecuador Gangs, Experts Say.
Concentrating dangerous inmates also raises questions about rights, staffing and long-term cost. A new building does not by itself change the cocaine trade moving through Central America towards the United States and Europe.
What It Means for You
For US travellers, the State Department keeps Costa Rica at Level 2, “exercise increased caution”, in an advisory dated 2 April 2026. It warns that violent crime, including armed robbery and homicide, also affects tourists.
The prison targets gang leaders and inmates awaiting extradition, not tourist areas. Costa Rica also sends drug suspects to US courts, as reported in Costa Rica Extradites Five Men to US on Drug Charges.
For investors, security has become part of the country risk in a stable, tourism-led economy. Whether the prison lowers killings will shape that picture in 2027.
What Is Not Known
The government has not published which inmates will move first or when transfers begin. Nor has it said how many guards will staff the centre or what it will cost to run each year.
The final cost, including equipment and later changes, may differ from the 2025 contract price. Whether the rise in killings seen in August and September continues into the final quarter is also open.
Independent monitors have not yet set out how they will inspect conditions inside. More detail may come at or after the ceremony on 14 October.
When does Costa Rica’s new high-security prison open?
On Wednesday 14 October 2026 at 12:30 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. ET), the Presidency said on 4 October. The ceremony will be streamed on YouTube.
How big is the CACCO prison?
It has five modules of 1,020 inmates each, about 5,100 places in all. El Salvador’s CECOT, which inspired the design, can hold up to 40,000 people.
Is Costa Rica safe for US tourists?
The US State Department rates Costa Rica Level 2, “exercise increased caution”, citing crime, in an advisory dated 2 April 2026. Homicides to 30 September were slightly below 2025, according to OIJ figures reported by El Observador.
Sources: Presidency of Costa Rica national broadcast, 4 October 2026, as reported by La Nación, Teletica and Infobae; La República, 5 October 2026; Justice Ministry contract award, 2 November 2025, via El Observador; OIJ open-data portal (queried 5 October 2026); OIJ homicide data via El Observador and Monumental; US State Department travel advisory, 2 April 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error