Terrorism Confinement Center. El Salvador’s Mega-Prison, or the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), is one of the world’s largest high-security facilities, designed to house over 40,000 inmates, primarily gang members, under strict surveillance and extreme security measures.
Built under President Nayib Bukele’s administration, CECOT was created to house violent criminals and gang members—who will never be set free. It serves as a cornerstone of El Salvador’s aggressive anti-gang crackdown aimed at restoring security and public order.
CECOT has sparked controversy for inhumane conditions. Inmates don’t have mattresses or pillows, can’t receive visits or mail, and are only allowed outside their cells for 30 minutes each day—human rights groups condemn these harsh prison conditions.
The Terrorism Confinement Center CECOT
According to local authorities, the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) is the world’s largest high-security prison, designed to house over 40,000 thousands of the country’s most dangerous gang members.
The Salvadoran government built the jail as part of President Nayib Bukele’s aggressive anti-gang crackdown; the Mega-prison facility aims to eliminate gang influence and maintain strict control over incarcerated criminals.
Location and Design Features
CECOT is in Tecoluca, San Vicente, a remote area nearly 46 miles (74 km) southeast of the capital, San Salvador—the isolated location minimizes the risk of outside interference or escape attempts.
The Prison was deliberately built in an isolated area, away from public institutions, urban centers, or any contact with the outside world. The facility has its own water and electricity systems.
The Mega-Prison sits on about 165 hectares (407 acres), with the prison’s physical complex covering approximately 57 acres.
The prison’s design prioritizes maximum security and strict inmate control. It features eight heavily fortified cell blocks, each with reinforced concrete walls and thick steel doors to prevent breaches.
The cell blocks are illuminated by artificial lights continuously and have small barred windows, limiting outside visibility—the artificial lights are never turned off.
The eight-cell blocks are organized into modules, each having four levels of metal bunks without mattresses, sheets, or pillows, along with two toilets and two washing basins— inmates are not allowed personal belongings.
The Mega-Prison has Solitary confinement cells in each cell block, furnished with a concrete bed, a toilet, and a wash basin. The solitary cells are pitch black except for a tiny hole in the ceiling that allows some light inside.
Each cell is monitored 24 hours a day by CCTV cameras and armed guards—inmates have zero privacy.
SEE ALSO: Nayib Bukele’s Territorial Control Plan: A Game Changer for security in El Salvador
Security measures and surveillance systems
The Terrorism Confinement Center, CECOT, is a maximum security prison operating under extreme security protocols. It prevents inmates from maintaining outside connections or engaging in illicit activities.
The facility is surrounded by multiple layers of tall walls topped with barbed wire, each exceeding 9 meters in height. Nineteen guard towers encircle the prison, along with two sets of electrified fences and gravel flooring designed to make footsteps audible.
The prison has over 600 security cameras, biometric scanners, and facial recognition tech keeping an eye on everything.
A high-tech control center tracks every part of the facility, and it’s a signal-free zone, blocking all communication inside and around the prison.
Correctional officers maintain prisoners under strict routines, limiting their movement and making sure they have no contact with the outside world. They receive no visits, phone calls, or mail, cutting off any external influence.
According to the government, the Mega-Prison is secured by 1,000 guards, 600 soldiers, and 250 police officers. All individuals entering the prison are subject to physical searches and X-ray scans.
Capacity and Operational Scale
CECOT was designed to accommodate 40,000 inmates, making it the largest and most controversial high-security prison in Latin America.
Within months of opening, the government transferred thousands of suspected gang members to the facility as part of El Salvador’s State of Exception, launched in 2022.
As of June 2024, the prison had a population of approximately 14,000 inmates. However, it is unclear what the current population of CECOT is, as the Bukele administration does not disclose that information.
The Mega-prison population will increase in 2025 as the Bukele administration has begun using CECOT to house immigrants deported by the Trump administration.
In March 2025, the Salvadoran government incarcerated over 200 alleged gang members from Venezuela in CECOT, who had been deported to the country by the second Donald Trump administration.
The prison’s daily operations prioritize containment over rehabilitation. Inmates are confined to their cells for 23.5 hours each day, receiving only 30 minutes outside their cells—but not outside the cell block.
Unlike traditional correctional facilities, CECOT does not provide rehabilitation programs, educational opportunities, or vocational training.
SEE ALSO: El Salvador Homicide Rate: From the World’s Most Violent Country to a Regional Security Model
Life Inside the Mega-Prison
The Salvadoran government hails the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) as a key tool in its war against crime; however, according to human rights NGOs, life inside the facility is marked by harsh conditions, strict security measures, and global controversy.
CECOT provides no comfort for its prisoners—Salvadoran authorities have made that clear. Inmates sleep on metal bunks without mattresses or pillows, and the cell blocks where inmates spend all day have no natural light.
Food is strictly controlled, with reports indicating inmates receive limited portions of basic meals. There is no access to personal belongings, books, or entertainment, and the prison provides no rehabilitation programs.
CECOT has harsh security protocols and daily routines to ensure inmates have minimal movement and contact with others.
Detainees are confined to their cells for 23.5 hours a day, with only 30 minutes in the hallway outside their cells, usually spent with heavy supervision; this time is designated for Bible study or group calisthenics.
There are no family visits, phone calls, mail, or TV to watch the news—they cannot access the outside world.
Lastly, CECOT Inmates have no privacy; the lights are never turned off, and guards are always watching, either in front of the cells or from the catwalk above.
Despite the government’s claims that CECOT has helped reduce gang violence, human rights organizations have condemned the prison’s inhumane conditions.
Groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch argue that the prison violates fundamental human rights, including due process, humane treatment, and access to fair trials.
While supporters argue that the prison is necessary to control gang violence, critics see it as a human rights disaster. As the debate continues, CECOT symbolizes El Salvador’s controversial war on crime.
SEE ALSO: Days Without Homicides in El Salvador: A Positive Trend in National Security and Public Safety
Reactions and Human Rights Concerns Over El Salvador’s CECOT
El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) has drawn global attention for its role in dramatically reducing crime. It has gained increased attention now that they will house immigrants deported from the U.S.
The government credits CECOT with keeping the country safer by keeping thousands of gang members off the streets.
However, alongside its success in preventing crime, CECOT has faced serious human rights concerns. Critics claim that the prison’s severe conditions, lack of due process, and extreme security measures breach international humane prison standards.
For example, inmates are reportedly denied mattresses, kept in overcrowded cells, and restricted to 30 minutes outside their cell activities per day.
Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have criticized Bukele’s Mega-prison, warning that mass incarceration under these conditions will create long-term social issues.
The United Nations has also expressed concern, urging El Salvador to balance security measures with respect for human rights. Critics fear that CECOT’s strict policies prioritize punishment over rehabilitation.
The Future of the CECOT
El Salvador’s Mega-Prison CECOT represents a significant and innovative approach to addressing the country’s complex issues of crime and overcrowded prisons.
Its emphasis is not on rehabilitation or reintegration but on making sure gang members do not harm Salvadorans anymore.
The prison, also known as Bukele’s jail, has been and will continue to be a big part of the country’s security.
During the controversial State of Exception, security authorities have arrested over 86,000 alleged gang members and collaborators.
If convicted and under the new sentencing guidelines, these individuals will receive jail terms of more than 15 years—even minor gang members face sentences longer than 15 years. CECOT will be an integral part of housing them.
