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UN Committee Against Torture concerned by prison overcrowding in Costa Rica

“Policies should not focus on constructing new prisons, but rather on decreasing the rate of incarceration,” said the delegate of the United Nations.

“I was rotting in El Chipote,” university student Bayardo Siles talks about his days in jail

Before fleeing Nicaragua, Bayardo José Siles Rodríguez, a university student and human rights activist from Matagalpa, was illegally locked up in prisons across three departments for ten days.

U.S. family works to set up Costa Rican halfway house in wake of son’s death

In late October, 33-year-old U.S. native Brandon Rowlands died in Costa Rica. Shortly beforehand, he had been placed into an early-release program following a...

Hell spilling over: Is Costa Rica’s preventive prison system in need of reform?

Costa Rica's prisons are desperately overcrowded thanks in large part, some say, to an overuse of pretrial detention, also known as preventive prison or "preventiva."

Judge orders closure of overcrowded San Sebastián prison

Costa Rica's notorious San Sebastián prison must be closed within 18 months, according to a judge's ruling that cited rampant overcrowding and inhumane conditions at the prison.

Cuba Dave set to finish year in preventive prison on allegations of promoting sex tourism

David "Cuba Dave" Strecker is set to finish out a full year in preventive prison for allegations of promoting sex tourism in Costa Rica. He says he was officially charged Thursday for the first time.

Release of prisoners in Costa Rica angers politicians, tourism industry

A judge's order to release 380 prisoners from Alajuela's overcrowded Gerardo Rodríguez prison has caused government infighting and pushback from the tourism industry.

At least 52 dead in Mexico prison riot

Officials said the fight erupted following a dispute between leaders of two rival groups, including one led by a member of the Zetas drug cartel. The 60-year-old penitentiary houses 3,800 inmates, twice its capacity.

Costa Rica’s justice minister: ‘We are not releasing inmates’

Costa Rica’s Justice Minister Cecilia Sánchez Romero was forced this week to defend before the Legislative Assembly the partial release of hundreds of inmates to reduce overcrowding. The program has sparked criticism from various sectors, including the Public Security Ministry.

Few rules govern treatment of transgender prisoners in Costa Rica

There are few set criteria governing how transgender inmates should be handled by Costa Rican prisons. Many men who identify as women are sent to men's prisons.
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Fonseca Stands Alone for Latin America After Cerúndolo, Tabilo Exit Roland Garros

Juan Manuel Cerúndolo, the Argentine who electrified Roland Garros by knocking out world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, saw his breakthrough run ended Monday by...

Costa Rica Lands the Cover of National Geographic Traveller’s UK Edition

Costa Rica is the cover star and lead feature of the June 2026 edition of National Geographic Traveller (UK), one of the world's most...

Panama Joins 10 Worst Countries for Workers Rights in ITUC Report

The International Trade Union Confederation placed the three Latin American nations in that group in its Global Rights Index released Monday. The list also...

Paul McCartney Turned a Rainy Costa Rica Day Off Into a New Song

Costa Rica's rain has been immortalized in one of Paul McCartney's newest songs. The legendary British musician revealed that "First Star of the Night,"...