Costa Rica’s Prison Population Hits Record Ahead of Mega-Prison Opening

Costa Rica held a record 21,173 adults in its prisons as of Oct. 7, according to the Ministry of Justice and Peace, as the government prepares to open a 5,100-bed maximum-security prison this week. The figure is the highest in available records. The prison population stood at 14,907 in December 2022, then rose to 15,769 in 2023, 17,055 in 2024 and 19,221 at the end of 2025, according to the Statistics and Research Department of the National Institute of Criminology. The 2026 figure is an increase of 6,266 people, or 42%, since 2022, including 1,952 more inmates since December alone. The juvenile justice system grew 56%, though its population is far smaller than the adult system’s. The count covers adults in institutional custody, including the CAI prisons, the CAI Vilma Curling Rivera women’s prison and the Comprehensive Care Units. It excludes people under semi-institutional measures, community supervision or electronic monitoring. The released figures did not include current capacity or occupancy rates and Justice and Peace Minister Gabriel Aguilar said the prison system shows a clear shift toward more restrictions and fewer alternative measures. He said the rising number of inmates in closed prisons is putting the most strain on existing capacity. Former Vice Minister of Public Security Walter Navarro attributed part of the increase to organized crime, international cooperation that includes the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and faster processing of cases in the courts. Adrián Quesada, a lawyer specializing in drug policy, said that if prison space and rehabilitation programs fail to keep up with the growing inmate population, the system risks simply containing overcrowding rather than lowering repeat offense The record comes days before the scheduled Oct. 14 opening of the High-Containment Center Against Organized Crime (CACCO). The facility, built at a cost of about $35 million on the grounds of the La Reforma prison complex in San Rafael de Alajuela, has capacity for 5,100 inmates. The prison is modeled on El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center. It will not allow visits, will block mobile phone signals and will register inmates with biometric and facial recognition systems, according to government plans. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella are expected to attend the opening alongside President Laura Fernández. The opening also comes as the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) and the Public Prosecutor’s Office examine allegations that inmates were assaulted during an Oct. 9 search at the Jorge Arturo Montero Castro Institutional Care Center, also more commonly known here as La Reforma. The OIJ said the investigation is under the direction of Attorney General Carlo Díaz because it involves a member of the Supreme Powers. The OIJ did not name the official under investigation, and no charges have been filed. Cabinet ministers fall under that designation. According to the Ministry of Justice and Peace, Aguilar was at La Reforma for the Oct. 9 search, which it described as a routine operation carried out with support from the Penitentiary Police and the Ministry of Public Security. The ministry denied the allegations, including a report made to the 9-1-1 emergency line that an inmate had died, saying the man was asleep and in good health. Aguilar said it was categorically false that there had been assaults or mistreatment during the operation, and he attributed the complaints to tension over the upcoming opening of the new prison One inmate at the facility said in a video circulated Saturday that the minister did not strike anyone, and that others had pressured him to accuse Aguilar. Legislator Claudia Dobles of the Agenda Ciudadana party called the allegations very serious and asked the government to explain who led the operation, which police forces took part and how many people, if any, were injured. With the new prison set to open and the inmate population still rising, how our system absorbs the additional demand will depend on transfers to the new facility and on whether courts continue to favor detention over alternative measures.