Terrorism Confinement Center

Terrorism Confinement Center
	Aerial view of the prison
Location	Tecoluca, San Vicente, El Salvador
Coordinates	13°31′58.76″N 88°48′14.40″W / 13.5329889°N 88.8040000°W
Status	Operational
Security class	Maximum security
Capacity	40,000
Population	12,500+ (as of 9 July 2023)
Opened	31 January 2023
Managed by	Ministry of Justice and Public Security

The Terrorism Confinement Center (Spanish: 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 from July 2022 to January 2023 amidst a large-scale gang crackdown in El Salvador. CECOT was opened by the Salvadoran government in January 2023 and received its first 2,000 prisoners in February 2023.

As of 9 July 2023^[update], CECOT has a population of over 12,500 inmates.^[1] With capacity for 40,000 inmates, it is the largest prison in Latin America. 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.^[2]

^ Urbina, Javier; Portillo, Denni (12 September 2023). "Megapenal de Tecoluca Será Vigilado por Juzgados de Usulután y Cojutepeque" [Mega-Prison of Tecoluca Will Be Monitored by Courts in Usulután and Cojutepeque]. La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 September 2023.
^ "Coming face to face with inmates in El Salvador's mega-jail". BBC. 15 February 2024.

[LPGcecot-1] Urbina, Javier; Portillo, Denni (12 September 2023). "Megapenal de Tecoluca Será Vigilado por Juzgados de Usulután y Cojutepeque" [Mega-Prison of Tecoluca Will Be Monitored by Courts in Usulután and Cojutepeque]. La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 September 2023.

[2] "Coming face to face with inmates in El Salvador's mega-jail". BBC. 15 February 2024.

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