El Salvador's prisons operate at 157% capacity, exceeding Brazil's 140%, amid a blackout of public data under President Nayib Bukele. The Central American nation's incarceration rate is the world's highest, with reports of human rights violations. Despite the 2023 opening of Cecot, the vacancy deficit continues.
President Nayib Bukele's government in El Salvador has pursued mass incarceration since the 2022 state of emergency, leading to 109,519 prisoners in 2024 per NGO Cristosal, or 111,207 according to the UCA University Observatory for Human Rights. In a population of 6.6 million, this yields a rate of 1,659 inmates per 100,000 people, the world's highest achieved in under two years. Prison facilities, however, lag behind: prior to Cecot's January 2023 opening with space for 40,000 inmates, the system had only 30,864 spots, based on 2021 U.S. embassy data. With current prisoner numbers, the deficit exceeds 40,000 vacancies, operating at 157% total capacity. Excluding Cecot, other prisons reach 213% occupancy, with 96,675 inmates in 30,864 spots. Transparency is restricted: official statistics on prison population and capacity remained confidential in 2024, and Cecot contracts were sealed until December 2024, renewed for seven more years in February 2025. Groups like Cristosal logged 3,643 abuse reports from March 2022 to April 2024 in a system barring NGOs, families, and lawyers. In Brazil, the issue mirrors but is less severe: 701,637 prisoners against 499,341 capacity, at 140%, per Senappen's first half 2025 data. Facilities like Recife's Centro de Observação e Triagem Everardo Luna hit 700% overcrowding, with 6,559 in 950 spots, according to CNJ in November 2025. The UCA observatory warns: 'The continuation of the state of emergency means prison overcrowding keeps rising, as it sets pretrial detention for over two years.' Recently, Costa Rica's President Rodrigo Chaves began building a Cecot-like prison, stating: 'For years, they sold us dangerous lies, saying organized crime is too complex to combat. It's not complex.'
