The Salvadoran prison model promoted by President Nayib Bukele is gaining momentum beyond national borders, as several Latin American countries move to replicate both the infrastructure and administrative approach of El Salvador’s penitentiary system.
Ecuador is currently building La Cárcel El Encuentro, located in the province of Santa Elena. According to Ecuadorian newspaper Diario El Mercurio, the facility will be completed by the end of this year. “Prisión de acero: Cárcel al estilo Bukele estará lista en el 2025,” the paper reported, highlighting that the prison will house high-risk inmates just like the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (Cecot) in El Salvador. The prison, with capacity for 700 to 800 inmates, follows the so-called “megaprison” concept implemented by the Bukele administration.
Peru has also shown interest. In March 2024, President Dina Boluarte suggested building a prison modeled after Cecot. That same month, then-Prime Minister Alberto Otárola confirmed the government’s plans to follow El Salvador’s example. More recently, Lima’s mayor, Rafael López Aliaga, officially requested technical advice from President Bukele’s government for a similar project to address rising crime in the Peruvian capital.
In Central America, Costa Rica has announced the construction of a 5,000-inmate prison inspired by Cecot. “We have received technical cooperation from El Salvador,” said Gerald Campos, Costa Rica’s Minister of Justice and Peace, earlier this month. The project aims to combat the country’s recent spike in criminal activity.
Meanwhile, Honduras is integrating maximum-security modules into its Támara National Penitentiary, located in Francisco Morazán, drawing from El Salvador’s prison model, as reported by local media.
Experts agree that El Salvador’s approach has become a regional benchmark. Public administration specialist Nelson Flores emphasized the combination of order, discipline, and rehabilitation efforts inside Salvadoran prisons, including the innovative Plan Cero Ocio which aims to keep inmates engaged in productive tasks. “The Salvadoran prison model has become a global example due to its high-tech infrastructure and advanced surveillance system that ensures constant control inside and outside the facilities, effectively preventing any escape attempts,” said Flores.
Political analyst Óscar Martínez Peñate also noted that El Salvador’s transformation has captured the attention of governments seeking more effective responses to crime.