Costa Rica looks to El Salvador in announcing new prison and tough-on-crime reforms

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves took another step in his shift toward a tough-on-crime stance, announcing plans to build a new prison in the Central American nation modeled on the maximum security gang prison in El Salvador.

With the announcement Friday during a visit to the Reforma prison, Chaves was channeling El Salvador President Nayib Bukele who he recognized last year with Costa Rica's highest diplomatic honor for his decimation of that country's gangs.

In addition to building a new prison, Chaves said the small shops selling things inside existing prisons would be shut down. Permission for conjugal visits would be restricted and authorities would tighten the ability of families to bring food to inmates.

The restrictions were aimed at stopping drugs being brought into prisons and other illicit activities.

Costa Rica continues to struggle with historically high homicide numbers.

In 2023, Costa Rica set a homicide record with 907, down somewhat in 2024 to 880. So far this year, the country is on nearly the same homicide pace as last year, according to government data.

Chaves spoke Friday of an ''alliance'' with El Salvador and said he was working to line up financing for the new prison.

Bukele built his massive new prison to hold alleged gang members among the 85,000 people arrested under his state of emergency for three years as his administration crushed the country's powerful street gangs.

That prison has received even more attention since the U.S. government shipped more than 200 Venezuelans it accused of gang ties in March. El Salvador's prisons have been criticized as legal black holes where a lack of due process makes it difficult for people to get out.

Bukele had visited the same Costa Rican prison last year with Chaves.

Relatives of inmates saw the measures as harsh and have protested.

''They don't have privileges, they're rights, they took away their right to see their childen, the right to have a visit and to eat food from home,'' said Katherine López, the wife of an inmate.