A maximum security fortress: a tour of a Salvadoran prison for dangerous criminals (10 photos + 3 videos)

Footage has emerged from inside El Salvador's mega-prison for gang members, showing its concrete cells and impenetrable security. The unique footage was captured by YouTuber Nick Shirley, who toured the CECOT Terrorist Confinement Center (CECOT) in Tecoluca.





CECOT is a massive maximum security prison in El Salvador that houses 40,000 inmates, all of whom have at least one murder conviction. Conditions at the facility are extremely harsh and lacking in comfort.



Nick Shirley toured the solitary confinement cell, a narrow space with only a raised concrete platform used as a bed and a crude toilet. There is no mattress on the bed, and no sheets are provided to anyone in solitary confinement. The sink is filled with cold water so prisoners can wash themselves, and natural light comes through a small round hole drilled into the thick concrete ceiling.

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General cells are narrow spaces of only 100 square meters, which accommodate 40 people. These cells have two toilets and two sinks for washing. Sleeping places are arranged in the form of four-tiered bunks. Prisoners are not given bed linen, and instead of a mattress they are forced to sleep on a bare metal sheet.



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CECOT is a high security fortress where artificial light is on 24 hours a day and prisoners are only allowed out of their cells for 30 minutes a day, and are forced to eat with their hands because knives and forks are considered potential weapons. Prisoners also have no access to cell phones because the prison is a "black hole" for cell phone networks. In addition, prisoners are deprived of most clothing and personal space.





Life outside the cell is not much better, as prisoners live on a diet devoid of meat and vegetables. Guards told Shirley that most meals consisted of nothing but beans and tortillas with cheese or cream.





Prisoners at CECOT are allowed very limited time to exercise and participate in sports—just 30 minutes a day. However, even in this short amount of time, their options are severely limited. Due to concerns that prisoners might use sports equipment as weapons, they are not allowed to use dumbbells, barbells, or other exercise equipment. Instead, they are forced to exercise using only their own body weight. Guards keep a close eye on them to make sure they do not harm each other.



The prison has a powerful security system. It houses a huge arsenal of automatic weapons designed to suppress unrest. Prisoners are moved between buildings, handcuffed and shackled. Escape is almost impossible due to the double concrete walls, 8 meters high, topped with an additional 3 meters of electric fencing. Below, the ground is made of coarse pebbles, so that the slightest movement causes noise. Prisoners are monitored by guards located in 27 watchtowers. To date, there have been no escape attempts or unrest at CECOT.



Despite its harsh conditions, this prison played a key role in reducing El Salvador's murder rate by 70% last year. The country's authorities, led by President Nayib Bukele, have been pursuing a tough policy to combat crime both inside and outside the prison. These actions have been criticized by human rights groups, who call the prison a "black hole in human rights" and a "pit of concrete and steel" built to get rid of prisoners without resorting to the death penalty. But locals are happy that their streets are finally much safer.

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El Salvador imprisons three times more people than the United States, and by the end of 2023, 1.6 percent of the country's 6.3 million citizens will be behind bars, according to Bloomberg.