Terrorism Confinement Center
Aerial view of a prison near a volcano in an isolated area
Aerial view of the prison
LocationTecoluca, San Vicente, El Salvador
Coordinates13°31′58.76″N 88°48′14.40″W / 13.5329889°N 88.8040000°W / 13.5329889; -88.8040000
StatusOperational
Security classMaximum security
Capacity40,000
Population12,500+ (as of 9 July 2023)
Opened31 January 2023 (2023-01-31)
Managed byMinistry of Justice and Public Security

The Terrorism Confinement Center (Spanish: Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo, abbreviated CECOT) is a maximum security prison located in Tecoluca, San Vicente, El Salvador. The prison was built from July 2022 to January 2023 amidst a large-scale gang crackdown; it was opened in January 2023 by President Nayib Bukele and received its first 2,000 prisoners in February 2023.

As of 9 July 2023, the prison has a population of over 12,500 inmates.[1] With capacity for 40,000 inmates, it is the largest prison in Latin America. CECOT–as well as the gang crackdown as a whole–have been the subject of praise from the Salvadoran government, international media attention, and alleged human rights violations.

Background

Gang violence

On 26 March 2022, El Salvador experienced its deadliest day in history when gang violence killed 62 people.[2] In response to the violence, the Salvadoran government began a large-scale crackdown against criminal gangs.[3] President Nayib Bukele called for a state of exception, which allows the state to suspend certain laws and constitutional rights in the name of the public good. In the following seven months, Bukele's government arrested over 55,000 people in a swift roundup of gang members that may not have been possible without the state of exception curtailing certain constitutional rights.[4]

Due to the large number of alleged gang members being arrested by the country's security forces, the government announced in July 2022 that a new prison with a capacity of 40,000 would be built to house those who were arrested,[5] as well as to relieve El Salvador's overcrowded prisons, such as the Zacatecoluca prison.[6] At the time of CECOT's opening in January, over 62,000 people had been arrested during the crackdown.[7] Additional measures taken by the Salvadoran government that have led to an influx of prisoners with alleged gang affiliations include the provisional detention period–which allows the government to keep suspected gang members in custody before conviction–being made indefinite.[8] Children as young as 12 years old can also now be tried for their potential gang membership, and it is alleged that around 1,600 children have been arrested since this law was amended as of November 2022.[9]

Notable gangs in El Salvador

Both Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and the 18th Street gang (Barrio 18) have their origins in California and were started by immigrants from Central America in the 1980s. Both groups gained influence in El Salvador in the 1990s, when their respective founders were deported from the United States to El Salvador.[5] As of 2020, MS-13 more than doubles the 18th Street gang in size, and together, the two account for almost all of the nation's gang violence.[10] Other notable gangs in El Salvador include Mao Mao, Miranda Loca, and La Maquina.[11]

MS-13 is one of El Salvador's most prominent gangs and has been a central focus of the Salvadoran government's current crackdown. In 2012, during the presidency of Mauricio Funes, the Salvadoran government paid MS-13 US$25 million as part of the 2012–2014 gang truce. In exchange, MS-13 was expected to quell the violence with their rival gang, the 18th Street Gang, in an effort to assist the government in lowering the national homicide rate.[12] The truce between the government and the gang sparked wide debate in El Salvador over its legality, before ultimately falling apart in 2014.[13] Since the truce's end, tensions have risen within MS-13 over the allocation of the government payment, with some gang members alleging that leadership kept exorbitant amounts of the payment for themselves. Additionally, MS-13 has also taken a more militaristic approach, attacking cocaine traffickers for control over key passageways in the drug trade, which has led to increased violence.[14]

Like MS-13, the 18th Street gang has had a major presence in El Salvador following the civil war. In fighting their rival, MS-13, Barrio 18 has been the source of much violence in the country. Barrio 18 was also involved in the government–gang truce of 2012–2014, agreeing to a ceasefire with MS-13 until the truce collapsed.[13] Barrio 18 is the second-most prominent gang in El Salvador, after MS-13.[10]

Prison facility

The entire plot of land devoted to the Terrorism Confinement Center covers 410 acres (170 ha), while the physical complex itself covers approximately 57 acres (23 ha). CECOT was purposefully built in an isolated area, away from any public institutions, urban centers, or any contact with the outside world. The facility has its own water and electricity systems, furthering its divide from the rest of Tecoluca. The eight cell blocks within CECOT cover approximately 50,000 square meters (540,000 sq ft).[15] The contract to build the prison was awarded to two Salvadoran firms, OMNI and DISA, and the Mexican firm Contratista General de América Latina S.A. de C.V.[16]

Upon entering the prison, inmates are subject to a thorough security screening. Those wishing to enter the prison must submit to a scan by advanced x-ray technology designed to prevent illicit objects from entering the secure area. For inmates being transferred to CECOT, this security scan is immediately followed by a registration process meant to record their personal information and details on their criminal history. Additional security measures include constant video surveillance of the entire compound, a fully-stocked armory complete with firearms and riot gear, and a 15,000-volt capacity fence surrounding the facility.[17] Prisoners are not allowed to receive visitors.[18]

The prison's entrance
Soldiers and police officers

Within the eight main cell blocks, the cells are divided into modules. Each module contains two toilets, two washing basins, and 80 bunks (with no mattresses) for more than 100 inmates. While the inmates have constant access to the washing basins, the water is controlled by guards from outside the cell.[17] According to Financial Times, on average, each prisoner is given 0.6 square meters (6.5 sq ft) of space. There are factories for the prisoners to produce fabric. With a capacity of 40,000 prisoners, CECOT's inmate capacity is double that of the total population of the Marmara Penitentiaries Campus in Istanbul, Turkey—which would make it the largest in the world by total capacity. Looking nationally and continentally, CECOT dwarfs other notable prison facilities in El Salvador and Latin America.[15]

Separate from the main modules, there are corridors of solitary confinement cells. These solitary cells are complete with only a concrete slab for sleeping, a toilet, and a washing basin. There is no natural or artificial light in these individual cells, and guards are able to observe inmates through a small window which guards can open and shut.[17]

The prison is secured by 1,000 guards, 600 soldiers, and 250 police officers; there are 40 inmates per guard. Its nineteen guard towers—seven on the perimeter and twelve on the interior—are staffed by seven soldiers each.[15] In the interest of prioritizing the guards' wellbeing, the facility is complete with resting quarters, lounge areas with ping pong tables, bathrooms, lockers, and a gym for the guards and police personnel. In a recorded tour of the facility posted to YouTube by Bukele himself, he claims such accommodations for guards is meant to correct missteps in previous approaches to incarceration in El Salvador: "Before, the gang members had prostitutes and PlayStations, televisions, drugs, cellphones, and computers. And the guards and soldiers were sleeping on the floor. It was all backwards".[17]

Reactions

Salvadoran government

Bukele's government has been vocal in its praise for CECOT and their broader crackdown on gang violence. Bukele has described the Terrorism Confinement Center as "the most criticized prison in the world".[19] On 20 March 2023, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security celebrated the 350th day of Bukele's administration without a homicide.[20] The government site regularly publishes articles aligned with the mission of CECOT and the larger gang crackdown, including a publication on 20 April 2023 titled, "The War Against Gangs Doesn't Stop", detailing the capture and impending imprisonment of two members of MS-13.[21]

On 1 February 2023, Bukele tweeted the following statement: "El Salvador has managed to go from being the most insecure country in the world to the safest country in the Americas. How did we do it? Putting criminals in jail. Is there space? Now yes. Will they be able to give orders from inside? No. Can they escape? No. A work of common sense." ("El Salvador ha logrado pasar de ser el país más inseguro del mundo, al país más seguro de América. ¿Cómo lo logramos? Metiendo a los criminales en la cárcel. ¿Hay espacio? Ahora sí. ¿Podrán dar órdenes desde adentro? No. ¿Podrán escapar? No. Una obra de sentido común."). His statement was accompanied by a video showcasing the prison's massive size.[22]

Allegations of abuse and human rights violations

Since CECOT's opening but also dating back to the start of the government's recent crackdown on gangs, the Salvadoran government has been the subject of widespread human rights violation allegations. Before CECOT's construction was announced, Human Rights Watch published a detailed report of alleged human rights abuses perpetrated by the government. Humans Rights Watch accuses the Salvadoran government of "arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture and other ill-treatment of detainees, and significant due process violations". Notably, the report claims that as part of the recent crackdown on gangs, the government has made tens of thousands of arrests without sufficient evidence. It is alleged that some of these arrests were made based solely on the physical appearances or social backgrounds of individuals believed to have gang affiliations. Human Rights Watch claimed that these arrests disproportionately burdened the most socio-economically disadvantaged Salvadorans.[9]

The United States Department of State released a report documenting alleged human rights violations in El Salvador from 2022. This report alleges that the state of exception in El Salvador has put more pressure on the judicial system than it can handle, and as a result has created conditions not conducive to due process. The Department of State report (published before CECOT's conception) also alleged that prison conditions in the country declined during the state of exception, with the prison system taking on more prisoners than it was built for.[23] Amnesty International criticized the government, stating that the prison doesn't "address the root causes of violence" and that it only allows the government to continue its "policy of mass incarceration".[24]

On 12 September 2023, the Supreme Court of Justice of El Salvador and Legislative Assembly approved a provision allowing courts in Usulután and Cojutepeque—known as surveillance courts—to monitor the rights of individuals imprisoned in CECOT.[1]

Media coverage

Bukele touring CECOT
External videos
video icon President Nayib Bukele touring the newly-built prison.
video icon The February 2023 prisoner transfer
video icon The March 2023 prisoner transfer

On 1 February 2023, Bukele published a video on Twitter of him, General Director of Penal Centers Osiris Luna Meza, Director of the National Civil Police Mauricio Arriaza Chicas, Minister of Defense René Merino Monroy, and Minister of Public Works Romeo Herrera touring the prison before its opening.[25] On 24 February 2023, Bukele published a video on Twitter of the first 2,000 prisoners being transferred to CECOT. The video shows thousands of prisoners—all with shaved heads wearing only white gym shorts—being rushed from point to point as they enter the prison.[26] Weeks later, on 15 March 2023, Bukele tweeted a similar video showing the second transfer of 2,000 more prisoners into CECOT.[27]

The opening of CECOT garnered massive media attention in the weeks after its opening. Major publications in the United States–including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Associated Press–chronicled the prison opening its doors to inmates for the first time.[28][29][30] Images of the prison's first prison transfers, described as being "dramatic" and "shocking", were circulated, notably being published in the BBC.[31] Salvadoran news sources have also closely covered the prison's opening. El Mundo, a national publication in El Salvador, published a story detailing the second prisoner transfer and documenting international concerns over human rights abuses.[32] On 11 September 2023, the General Directorate of Penal Centers (DGCP) permitted the Colombian news outlet Noticias Caracol to enter the prison, the first foreign news outlet allowed inside the prison.[33]

According to a poll conduced by CIESCA in March 2023, 96.4 percent of respondents supported the construction of CECOT while 3.6 percent opposed it.[34]

Impact on other prisons

On 1 June 2023, Bukele announced that he will build a prison similar to CECOT but for white-collar criminals as a part of a "war against corruption".[35] Bukele stated that the prison would be known as the Corruption Confinement Center (CECOC).[36]

Politicians across Latin America—in countries such as Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, and Peru—have implemented or have called for the implementation of security policies similar to those implemented by Bukele.[37] Prior to the 2023 Guatemalan presidential election, National Unity of Hope candidate Sandra Torres stated that she would build two mega-prisons to "end the scourge of homicides, murders and extortions in our country", while Valor candidate Zury Ríos promised to build at least three new prisons, stating that she "admire[s] the public security policies [Bukele] has done". Citizen Prosperity candidate Carlos Pineda stated that he had the goal of "doing in Guatemala exactly what [Bukele is] doing in El Salvador".[38] In January 2024, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced that he would build two prisons with capacity for 12,000 inmates each and that the prisons were modeled off of CECOT.[39]

See also

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 Urbina, Javier; Portillo, Denni (12 September 2023). "Megapenal de Tecoluca Será Vigilado por Juzgados de Usulután y Cojutepeque" [Mega-Prison of Tecoluca Will Be Monitored by Courts in Usulután and Cojutepeque]. La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  2. ↑ Abrego & Osuna 2022, p. 59–60.
  3. ↑ "Qué es un Régimen de Excepción – El Salvador" [What is the Regime of Exception – El Salvador]. Alianza Americas (in Spanish). 27 April 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  4. ↑ Abrego & Osuna 2022, p. 60–61.
  5. 1 2 Agren, David (23 August 2022). Written at Mexico City. "El Salvador Builds 40,000-Inmate Mega-Prison in "War Against Gangs"". Financial Times. London. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  6. ↑ Rodríguez, Milton (2 February 2022). "Cristosal: Bukele le Apuesta a la Megacárcel y no a la Prevención del Delito" [Cristosal: Bukele Bets on the Mega Prison and not on Crime Prevention]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  7. ↑ Renteria, Nelson; Kinosian, Sarah (1 February 2023). Maler, Sandra (ed.). "El Salvador Opens 40,000-Person Prison as Arrests Soar in Gang Crackdown". Reuters. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  8. ↑ Abrego & Osuna 2022, p. 61.
  9. 1 2 Pappier, Juan (7 December 2022). ""We Can Arrest Anyone We Want" – Widespread Human Rights Violations Under El Salvador's "State of Emergency"". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  10. 1 2 International Crisis Group 2020, p. 6.
  11. ↑ Ellis, R. Evan (16 December 2015). "The Gang Challenge in El Salvador: Worse Than You Thought". War on the Rocks.
  12. ↑ Fatah & Babineau 2017, pp. 61–62.
  13. 1 2 van der Borgh 2019, p. 11.
  14. ↑ Fatah & Babineau 2017, p. 63.
  15. 1 2 3 Murray, Christine; Smith, Alan (6 March 2023). "Inside El Salvador's Mega Prison: The Jail Giving Inmates Less Space than Livestock". Financial Times. Mexico City and London. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  16. ↑ Rodríguez, Milton (7 February 2023). "Gobierno Oculta el Costo y los Contratos de Construcción del Megapenal de Tecoluca" [Government Hides the Cost and Construction Contracts of the Tecoluca Mega Penalty]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Bukele, Nayib (2 February 2023). "Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo | #CECOT" [Terrorism Confinement Center | #CECOT]. YouTube (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  18. ↑ Alemán, Marcos (12 October 2023). "El Salvador is Gradually Filling its New Mega Prison with Alleged Gang Members". Associated Press. Tecoluca, El Salvador. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  19. ↑ Bukele, Nayib [@nayibbukele] (15 March 2023). "Este día, en un nuevo operativo, trasladamos al segundo grupo de 2,000 pandilleros al Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT). Con esto, ya son 4,000 pandilleros los que habitan la cárcel más criticada del mundo" [Today, in a new operative, we transferred the second group of 2,000 gang members to the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), With this, there are now 4,000 gang members who inhabit the most criticized prison in the world.] (Tweet) (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 March 2023 – via Twitter.
  20. ↑ "El Salvador Suma 350 Días Sin Homicidios Durante Gestión del Presidente Nayib Bukele" [El Salvador Sums 350 Days Without Homicides During the Term of President Nayib Bukele]. Ministry of Justice and Public Security (in Spanish). 21 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  21. ↑ "La Guerra Contra Pandillas no se Detiene" [The War Against the Gangs Doesn't Stop]. Ministry of Justice and Public Security (in Spanish). 21 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  22. ↑ Bukele, Nayib [@nayibbukele] (2 February 2023). "El Salvador ha logrado pasar de ser el país más inseguro del mundo, al país más seguro de América. ¿Cómo lo logramos? Metiendo a los criminales en la cárcel. ¿Hay espacio? Ahora sí. ¿Podrán dar órdenes desde adentro? No. ¿Podrán escapar? No. Una obra de sentido común" [El Salvador has managed to go from being the most insecure country in the world to the safest country in America. How do we achieve it? Putting criminals in jail. There is space? Now yes. Will they be able to give orders from within? No. Will they be able to escape? No. A work of common sense.] (Tweet) (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 April 2023 – via Twitter.
  23. ↑ "2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: El Salvador". United States Department of State.
  24. ↑ Bernal, Daniel (3 February 2023). "Amnistía Internacional Expresa Preocupación por Megapenal de El Salvador" [Amnesty International Expresses Preoccupation with El Salvador's Mega Prison]. La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  25. ↑ Romero, Fátima (1 February 2023). "Bukele Presenta "la Cárcel más Grande de América" para 40,000 Reos" [Bukele Presents "the Biggest Prison in America" for 40,000 Inmates]. Bloomberg Línea (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  26. ↑ Quiej, Bessy (24 February 2023). "Videos | Presidente Nayib Bukele Confirma Envío de 2 Mil Pandilleros al CECOT" [Videos | President Nayib Bukele Confirms More than 2 Thousand Prisoners in CECOT]. La Página. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  27. ↑ "Second Group Of Prisoners Transferred To El Salvador Mega-Jail". Barron's. 15 March 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  28. ↑ Kitroeff, Natalie; Volpe, Daniele (9 April 2023). "El Salvador Decimated Its Ruthless Gangs. But at What Cost?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  29. ↑ Javaid, Maham (26 February 2023). "El Salvador's President is Flaunting a New Mega Prison. Activists are Worried". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  30. ↑ Alemán, Marcos; Meléndez, Salvador (3 February 2023). "El Salvador Bets Safety on Incarceration; Unveils New Prison". Associated Press. Tecoluca, El Salvador. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  31. ↑ "Thousands of Tattooed Inmates Pictured in El Salvador Mega-Prison". BBC. 25 February 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  32. ↑ "Trasladan a Otros 2,000 Pandilleros a la Megacárcel de Tecoluca" [They Transferred 2,000 More Gang Members to the Tecoluca Mega-Prison]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 15 March 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  33. ↑ "Noticiero 11 de Septiembre: Centros Penales Permitió Ingreso de Medio Internacional al CECOT" [Newscast for 11 September: Penal Centers Allowed International Media Entry to CECOT]. YouTube (in Spanish). La Prensa Gráfica. 11 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  34. ↑ CIESCA CENTROAMERICA [@CIESCA_OFICIAL] (31 March 2023). "El 96.4% de la población salvadoreña aprueba la decisión del presidente @nayibbukele En la construcción de #CECOT" [96.4% of the Salvadoran population approves the president @nayibbukele's decision in the construction of #CECOT] (Tweet) (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 March 2023 – via Twitter.
  35. ↑ Renteria, Nelson; Diaz, Lizbeth; Morland, Sarah (1 June 2023). Wong, Jacqueline (ed.). "El Salvador President Pledges White-Collar Prison in 'War' on Corruption". Reuters. San Salvador, El Salvador. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  36. ↑ "Bukele Anuncia la Construcción de Una Cárcel Únicamente para los Corruptos" [Bukele Announces the Construction of a Prison Only for Corrupt People]. Alerta Mundial (in Spanish). 29 November 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  37. ↑ Linthicum, Kate (25 July 2023). "Inside the Growing Cult of El Salvador's Nayib Bukele, Latin America's Political Star". Los Angeles Times. Mexico City, Mexico. Archived from the original on 25 July 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  38. ↑ Pérez D., Sonia (4 June 2023). "Guatemala's Presidential Hopefuls Channel Heavy-Handed Tactics of El Salvador's Leader". Associated Press. Guatemala City, Guatemala. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  39. ↑ "Ecuador to Build Mega-Jails Inspired by El Salvador's Hardline Leader". The Daily Telegraph. 4 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.

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