Terrorism Confinement Center Explained

Terrorism Confinement Center
Location:Tecoluca, San Vicente, El Salvador
Status:Operational
Classification:Maximum security
Capacity:40,000
Population:14,532
Population As Of:11 June 2024
Managed By:Ministry of Justice and Public Security

The Terrorism Confinement Center (Spanish; Castilian: Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo, abbreviated and commonly referred to as CECOT) is a maximum security prison located in Tecoluca, El Salvador. The prison was built in late 2022 amidst a large-scale gang crackdown in El Salvador and was opened by the Salvadoran government in January 2023.

CECOT received its first 2,000 prisoners in February 2023, and, it has a population of 14,532 inmates.[1] With capacity for 40,000 inmates, CECOT is the largest prison in Latin America and one of the largest in the world by prisoner capacity. CECOT–as well as the gang crackdown as a whole–have been the subject of international media attention, receiving praise for the Salvadoran government as well as criticism of 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. In response to the violence, the Salvadoran government began a large-scale crackdown against criminal gangs.[2] 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.

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,[3] as well as to relieve El Salvador's overcrowded prisons, such as the Zacatecoluca prison.[4] At the time of CECOT's opening in January, over 62,000 people had been arrested during the crackdown.[5] 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. 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.[6]

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. MS-13 is more than twice the size of Barrio 18, the second-most prominent gang in El Salvador. Together, the two account for almost all of the nation's gang violence. Other notable gangs in El Salvador include Mao Mao, Miranda Loca, and La Maquina.[7]

MS-13 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, Barrio 18, to assist the government in lowering the national homicide rate. The truce between the government and the gang sparked wide debate in El Salvador over its legality, before ultimately falling apart in 2014. 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.

Like MS-13, Barrio 18 has had a major presence in El Salvador following the Salvadoran Civil War, and 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.

Prison facility

The entire plot of land devoted to the Terrorism Confinement Center covers 410acres, while the physical complex itself covers approximately 57acres. 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 50000m2.[8] 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.[9]

Upon entering the prison, inmates are subject to a thorough security screening. Those wishing to enter the prison, including non-inmates, must submit to a scan by advanced x-ray technology designed to prevent illicit objects from entering the secure area. Non-inmates are also asked by the guards if they have any tattoos on their bodies.[10] 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.[11] The prison is further surrounded by gravel flooring to make footsteps audible, four 9.8adj=midNaNadj=mid and 23.6adj=midNaNadj=mid walls topped with barbed wire, and 19 guard towers.

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. CCTV cameras monitor every cell. According to Financial Times, on average, each prisoner is given 0.6m2 of space in their shared cell. 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 CECOT the largest in the world by total capacity. 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.

Prisoners are fed rice, beans, pasta, and hard-boiled eggs and are forced to eat with their hands as the guards consider forks and knives to be potential weapons.[12] Prisoners wear a uniform consisting of a white shirt and white shorts and their heads are shaved every five days. Prisoners are allowed outside of their cells for only 30 minutes per day to exercise while shackled. They can also work in the prison factory to produce fabric. Each cell has two Bibles for prisoners to read. Prisoners are not allowed to receive visitors or make phone calls.[13]

The prison is secured by 1,000 guards, 600 soldiers, and 250 police officers. At maximum capacity, the prison would have 40 inmates per guard. Its nineteen guard towers—seven on the perimeter and twelve on the interior—are staffed by seven soldiers each. 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".

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".[14] On 20 March 2023, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security celebrated the 350th day of Bukele's administration without a homicide.[15] 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.[16]

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." ("Spanish; Castilian: 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.[17]

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.

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.[18] Amnesty International criticized the government, stating that the prison does not "address the root causes of violence" and that it only allows the government to continue its "policy of mass incarceration".[19]

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.[20]

Media coverage

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.[21] 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.[22] Weeks later, on 15 March 2023, Bukele tweeted a similar video showing the second transfer of 2,000 more prisoners into CECOT.[23] On 11 June 2024, Bukele published a third video showing a third transfer of 2,000 prisoners to CECOT.[24]

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.[25] [26] [27] Images of the prison's first prison transfers, described as being "dramatic" and "shocking", were circulated, notably being published in the BBC.[28] 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.[29] El País' Juan Diego Quesada has described CECOT as "the Alcatraz of Central America".

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.[30] CECOT has since also allowed YouTubers access to the prison to record and upload videos about it to YouTube.[31]

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.[32]

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".[33] Bukele stated that the prison would be known as the Corruption Confinement Center (CECOC).[34]

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.[35] [36] 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".[37] 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 on CECOT.[38] In June 2024, Honduran President Xiomara Castro announced that she would build a prison with the capacity to hold 20,000 inmates based on CECOT.[39]

See also

References

Bibliography

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Trasladan 2,000 Privados de Libertad al CECOT, el Megapenal de El Salvador que ya Llegó a la Cifra de 14,532 Reclusos. They Transfer 2,000 Deprived of Liberty to CECOT, El Salvador's Megaprison Which Already Holds 14,532 Recluse. es. 11 June 2024. 12 June 2024. La Prensa Gráfica. David. Bernal.
  2. Web site: 27 April 2022. Qué es un Régimen de Excepción – El Salvador. What is the Regime of Exception – El Salvador. 14 July 2022. Alianza Americas. es.
  3. News: Agren. David. 23 August 2022. El Salvador Builds 40,000-Inmate Mega-Prison in "War Against Gangs". en. Financial Times. Mexico City. London. subscription. 23 August 2022.
  4. Web site: 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. 2 February 2022. El Diario de Hoy. es.
  5. Web site: Renteria. Nelson. Kinosian. Sarah. 1 February 2023. Maler. Sandra. El Salvador Opens 40,000-Person Prison as Arrests Soar in Gang Crackdown. 2 February 2023. Reuters. en.
  6. Web site: "We Can Arrest Anyone We Want" – Widespread Human Rights Violations Under El Salvador's "State of Emergency". en. 7 December 2022. 17 August 2023. Juan. Pappier. Human Rights Watch.
  7. Web site: The Gang Challenge in El Salvador: Worse Than You Thought. 16 December 2015. R. Evan. Ellis. War on the Rocks.
  8. Web site: Inside El Salvador's Mega Prison: The Jail Giving Inmates Less Space than Livestock. en. Financial Times. 6 March 2023. 8 March 2023. Christine. Murray. Alan. Smith. Mexico City and London. subscription.
  9. Web site: 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. 27 March 2023. El Diario de Hoy. es.
  10. Web site: Inside Nayib Bukele's Alcatraz: 'It is Impossible to Escape. These Psychopaths are Going to Spend Their Whole Lives Behind Bars Here'. en. 7 February 2024. 13 June 2024. El País. Juan Diego. Quesada. San Salvador, El Salvador.
  11. Web site: Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo #CECOT. Terrorism Confinement Center #CECOT. 2 February 2023. 24 April 2023. es. Nayib. Bukele. Nayib Bukele. YouTube.
  12. Web site: Inside Megajail Where Inmates Forced to Eat with Hands to Deprive Them of Weapons. en. 15 February 2024. 13 June 2024. Daily Mirror. Ryan. Fahey.
  13. Web site: El Salvador is Gradually Filling its New Mega Prison with Alleged Gang Members. en. 12 October 2023. 15 October 2023. Associated Press. Marcos. Alemán. Tecoluca, El Salvador.
  14. 1636074901684494337. nayibbukele. 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.. Nayib. Bukele. 15 March 2023. 15 March 2023. es. 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.. Nayib Bukele.
  15. Web site: 21 April 2023. 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. 25 April 2023. Ministry of Justice and Public Security. es.
  16. Web site: 21 April 2023. La Guerra Contra Pandillas no se Detiene. The War Against the Gangs Doesn't Stop. 25 April 2023. Ministry of Justice and Public Security. es.
  17. 1620969718235398144. nayibbukele. 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.. Nayib. Bukele. 1 February 2023. 25 April 2023. es. 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.. Nayib Bukele.
  18. Web site: United States Department of State . 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: El Salvador .
  19. Web site: Bernal. Daniel. 3 February 2023. Amnistía Internacional Expresa Preocupación por Megapenal de El Salvador. Amnesty International Expresses Preoccupation with El Salvador's Mega Prison. 3 February 2023. La Prensa Gráfica. es.
  20. Web site: Megapenal de Tecoluca Será Vigilado por Juzgados de Usulután y Cojutepeque. Mega-Prison of Tecoluca Will Be Monitored by Courts in Usulután and Cojutepeque. es. 12 September 2023. 12 September 2023. La Prensa Gráfica. Javier. Urbina. Denni. Portillo.
  21. Web site: Bukele Presenta "la Cárcel más Grande de América" para 40,000 Reos. Bukele Presents "the Biggest Prison in America" for 40,000 Inmates. es. 1 February 2023. 11 September 2023. Bloomberg Línea. Fátima. Romero.
  22. Web site: Videos Presidente Nayib Bukele Confirma Envío de 2 Mil Pandilleros al CECOT. Videos President Nayib Bukele Confirms More than 2 Thousand Prisoners in CECOT. 24 February 2023. 24 February 2023. La Página. Bessy. Quiej.
  23. Web site: Second Group Of Prisoners Transferred To El Salvador Mega-Jail. en. 15 March 2023. 15 March 2023. Barron's.
  24. Web site: El Salvador Transfers 2,000 Gang Members to Mega-Prison Cecot. en. 12 June 2024. 13 June 2024. The Tico Times.
  25. News: Kitroeff. Natalie. Volpe. Daniele. 9 April 2023. El Salvador Decimated Its Ruthless Gangs. But at What Cost?. en. The New York Times. 25 April 2023. 0362-4331.
  26. News: Javaid. Maham. El Salvador's President is Flaunting a New Mega Prison. Activists are Worried.. The Washington Post. 26 February 2023. 25 April 2023. en.
  27. Web site: 3 February 2023. El Salvador Bets Safety on Incarceration; Unveils New Prison. 25 April 2023. Associated Press. Tecoluca, El Salvador. en. Marcos. Alemán. Salvador. Meléndez.
  28. News: 25 February 2023. Thousands of Tattooed Inmates Pictured in El Salvador Mega-Prison. en. BBC. 25 April 2023.
  29. Web site: 15 March 2023. Trasladan a Otros 2,000 Pandilleros a la Megacárcel de Tecoluca. They Transferred 2,000 More Gang Members to the Tecoluca Mega-Prison. 25 April 2023. El Mundo. es.
  30. Web site: 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. es. 11 September 2023. 11 September 2023. La Prensa Gráfica. YouTube.
  31. Web site: Frivolizing Bukele's 'Alcatraz': Luisito Comunica's Latest Controversy. en. 21 February 2024. 13 June 2024. El País. Andrés. Rodríguez. Mexico City, Mexico.
  32. 1641830811505762305. CIESCA_OFICIAL. El 96.4% de la población salvadoreña aprueba la decisión del presidente @nayibbukele En la construcción de #CECOT.. CIESCA CENTROAMERICA. 31 March 2023. 31 March 2023. es. 96.4% of the Salvadoran population approves the president @nayibbukele's decision in the construction of #CECOT.
  33. Web site: El Salvador President Pledges White-Collar Prison in 'War' on Corruption. en. 1 June 2023. 1 June 2023. Reuters. San Salvador, El Salvador. Nelson. Renteria. Lizbeth. Diaz. Sarah. Morland. Jacqueline. Wong.
  34. Web site: Bukele Anuncia la Construcción de Una Cárcel Únicamente para los Corruptos. Bukele Announces the Construction of a Prison Only for Corrupt People. es. 29 November 2023. 29 November 2023. Alerta Mundial.
  35. Web site: Inside the Growing Cult of El Salvador's Nayib Bukele, Latin America's Political Star. en. 25 July 2023. 15 August 2023. Los Angeles Times. Kate. Linthicum. Mexico City, Mexico. https://web.archive.org/web/20230725100859/https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-07-25/growing-cult-of-nayib-bukele. 25 July 2023. live. subscription.
  36. Web site: Why Latin American Leaders are Obsessed with Mega Prisons. en. 20 June 2024. 21 June 2024. Vox. Ellen. Ioanes.
  37. Web site: Guatemala's Presidential Hopefuls Channel Heavy-Handed Tactics of El Salvador's Leader. en. 4 June 2023. 5 June 2023. Associated Press. Sonia. Pérez D.. Guatemala City, Guatemala.
  38. Web site: Ecuador to Build Mega-Jails Inspired by El Salvador's Hardline Leader. en. 4 January 2024. 10 January 2024. The Daily Telegraph. subscription.
  39. Web site: Honduras to Build 20,000-Inmate 'Megaprison' as Part of Gang Crackdown. en. 15 June 2024. 15 June 2024. Al Jazeera English.