Costa Rica began transferring its first high-risk inmates to the Center for High Containment of Organized Crime (CACCO), a new maximum-security prison in Alajuela Province, on Tuesday, with the facility receiving its first prisoners as part of a national strategy to tighten control over dangerous inmates and reduce crime.

According to the Ministry of Justice and Peace, the first inmates admitted to CACCO included people convicted of homicide as well as suspects accused of committing homicides. They had been held in high-security cells at prisons across the country and were transferred under strict security measures.

Upon arrival, the inmates were given orange uniforms and had their heads shaved. They were also required to follow security protocols, including sitting on the floor in rows with their hands on their heads.

Justice and Peace Minister Gabriel Aguilar-Vargas said the goal of housing inmates at CACCO is to prevent leaders of criminal organizations from continuing to direct illegal activities from behind bars and to improve the prison system’s ability to respond to security threats.

“In this government, we stand up for victims, not criminals,” Aguilar said. “At CACCO, the days of leniency in prisons are over.”

The arrival of the first 123 inmates marks the beginning of a gradual transfer process that authorities expect to complete by bringing the facility to full capacity in December.

President Laura Fernández-Delgado recently inaugurated the high-security prison, which is modeled after El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, known as CECOT.

The facility is designed to house members of organized crime groups, violent offenders, inmates eligible for extradition, prisoners considered security risks and individuals requiring special protection.

The prison’s construction budget was set at $35 million and it was designed to house more than 5,000 inmates across five buildings.

The complex includes approximately 31,000 square meters of built space on a site spanning more than 90,000 square meters.

Its buildings include central corridors with cells on both sides of each module, five medical offices, an administrative building, a main control post, seven guard towers, isolation cells, a warehouse, a waste management area, parking and housing for police officers, among other facilities.

The project comes as Costa Rica continues to grapple with a high murder rate. The Judicial Investigation Organization (OIJ) reported 680 homicides nationwide as of Monday, 48 fewer than the 728 recorded during the same period in 2025.

Costa Rica currently operates 11 prisons housing approximately 17,000 inmates.

In a related development, Fernández recently visited El Salvador, where she signed an agreement with Salvadoran President Nayib Armando Bukele-Ortez to implement a “tough-on-crime” strategy.

The agreement calls for Costa Rica to learn from and adopt strategies used in El Salvador’s fight against crime. These include greater coordination among police agencies, improved intelligence gathering to combat drug trafficking, increased surveillance of seaports and airports, and cooperation with the United States and El Salvador.

The Ministry of Justice and Peace is the government agency responsible for overseeing Costa Rica’s prison system.

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