Costa Rica’s attorney general said prosecutors found signs of possible torture, abuse of authority and human rights violations at the country’s new maximum-security prison, setting off a sharp public clash with the Justice Ministry. Attorney General Carlo DÃaz led a surprise inspection on Friday, at the High Containment Center for Organized Crime (CACCO) in San Rafael de Alajuela.
He was joined by Ombudsman Angie Cruickshank, sentence enforcement judges, the director of the Public Defender’s Office and officials from the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture. The Public Prosecutor’s Office said the visit aimed to examine the conditions in which inmates are held and to determine whether any situation could amount to a human rights violation or a crime.
The inspection followed complaints of alleged torture and abuse of authority inside the facility.DÃaz said inmates showed him bruises and other marks that appeared to come from penitentiary police officers, and described one guard squad as more violent than others. He said he also saw signs of injuries from when inmates’ heads were shaved.
DÃaz remarked on the irony that inmates whose convictions prosecutors had sought were now turning to the prosecutor’s office for help. He said prosecutors need no permission to inspect prisons and will keep making unannounced visits. Inmates listed several complaints, according to the attorney general.
They included what they called systematic rights violations, beatings by penitentiary police squads and a single doctor for 1,200 inmates. They also cited cameras in bathrooms, unwashed uniforms, phone calls allowed only until Nov. 12, denial of education and work programs, and violations of their right to a defense.
DÃaz also said public and private defense lawyers could not enter the prison on Thursday because an influencer was filming inside. He said he was told inmates reacted to that visit and were then attacked. The Ombudsman’s Office reported three areas of serious concern. It said inmates described a specific squad of officers entering dormitories at set hours to beat them, and that inspectors saw people with injuries on various parts of their bodies.
The office said the allegations must be investigated as several inmates, including chronic patients and people with conditions such as cancer, told inspectors they had not been evaluated or treated, the office said. Inspectors also found no way for inmates to contact the Ombudsman’s Office or file complaints.
The office reminded prison authorities that any persecution or retaliation against inmates interviewed by oversight and judicial bodies is prohibited. It said the situations it found will be investigated and analyzed. Justice Minister Gabriel Aguilar criticized the inspection on Facebook, saying the delegation arrived without prior coordination with the Ministry of Justice and Peace. He asked whether the visit amounted to obsessive persecution and a political show.
Acting Justice Minister Nils Ching said it was the first time the attorney general had visited the prison system. He called the human rights allegations irresponsible, arguing that the people held at CACCO are among the most dangerous in Costa Rica. Penitentiary Police Director Pablo Bertozzi Calvo acknowledged that the law allows the institutions involved to inspect prisons.
He said, however, that the surprise visit was not properly coordinated and disrupted daily operations, and he asked the institutions to follow the coordination process used in the past. Lucrecia Tejada Cordoncillo, director general of Social Adaptation, said Cruickshank threatened, intimidated and shouted at her in front of inmates. Tejada also said the attorney general had to be repeatedly reminded to stay within the established security perimeter.
CACCO opened in October and has five modules, the first of which is nearly full. The dispute is the latest in a series of confrontations between the executive branch and the judicial and oversight institutions that monitor it, coming as prosecutors also warn that budget cuts will slow complex criminal investigations.
