Costa Rica transfers first 123 inmates to new mega-prison CACCO

Costa Rica has begun transferring inmates to its new maximum-security prison, the Centro de Alta Contención y Crimen Organizado (CACCO), with the first 123 prisoners arriving on October 26, 2026. The inmates were shaved bald and dressed in orange uniforms, a procedure that drew comparisons to El Salvador's CECOT prison, which served as inspiration for the facility Source: La VanguardiaSource: Infobae.

The transfer

Among the first transferred are three suspects in the murder of police officer Gerson Rosales Cascante, who remain in pretrial detention Source: Infobae. The government says the prison will prevent criminal organizations from coordinating crimes from inside jail Source: La Vanguardia. The facility, located in San Rafael de Alajuela, has a capacity of 5,100 inmates across five modules, with the first module holding 1,020 Source: Diario Libre.

Security and controversy

The CACCO features 24-hour video surveillance and strategic police posts Source: Diario Libre. The government projects that once fully operational, the prison will reduce overcrowding from 59% to 15% Source: Diario Libre. However, the Ombudsman's Office has demanded that transfers to high-containment regimes be based on individual technical assessments and respect inmates' rights Source: La Vanguardia. The government has invested between $33.1 million and $35 million in the project Source: InfobaeSource: Diario Libre.