Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Costa Rica expects to open a maximum-security prison, intended to hold 5,100 inmates, by the end of 2026, at an estimated cost of $39 million.
For the design of the Center for High Containment of Organized Crime, the Costa Rican government received technical assistance from El Salvador, which donated the plans for its controversial Terrorism Confinement Center, the mega-prison for gang members built under President Nayib Bukele.
"This prison must be ready for the day when we can strengthen the hand of Costa Rican justice with better laws and a judicial system that actually works," President Rodrigo Chaves said at a press conference.
At the same event, Chaves praised Congress for approving a budget that covers 40% of the new prison's cost -- about $16 million -- and allowing the government to begin the bidding process for construction.
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