The President of Costa Rica, Laura Fernándezpresented this Monday to Congress a package of security bills, with which it seeks to toughen fight crime and eliminate “leisure” in the country’s prisons through paid productive activities.
“This Government is on the side of the victims, the honest families and the police officers who risk their lives every day for Costa Rica. We are not going to continue tolerating a revolving door that returns criminals to the streets,” said Fernández.
One of the initiatives is the ‘Firm hand law against recidivism‘, which proposes that it be ordered preventive detention to people suspected of repeating crimes without judges being able to order other precautionary measures outside of prison.
Fernández also presented the project of ‘Law to combat criminal associations‘, which establishes a sentence of 1 to 6 years in prison for anyone who belongs to a criminal organization, which can go up to 20 years if it is a terrorist gang, drug traffickingorganized crime, kidnapping, human trafficking, arms trafficking or organ trafficking.
The package of laws also includes a ‘Zero Leisure Law in Prisons’, through which it is intended that prisoners receive training and carry out paid work, and that the money that they generate is directed towards covering their maintenance, supporting their families and compensating the victims.
Another of the law initiatives seeks to guarantee greater legal protection to police in cases of self-defense and toughen penalties for anyone who resists or attacks a police officer.
“It is up to you, deputies, to make the decisions that our police forces and the families of the victims are waiting for,” declared Fernández, who since assuming the presidency on May 8 has criticized the political opposition and the Judiciary, according to her, for prioritizing the rights of criminals over those of the victims.
On May 25, the president stated that the Ministry of Security has identified and located the country’s criminals, which is why he asked the Judicial Investigation Agency to “take a step forward” with investigations against 260 criminal structures made up, he said, of 4,300 members.
Fernández highlighted the importance of the construction of the High Containment Center against Organized Crime (CACCO), a “mega prison” that is 36% complete in its construction and will have a capacity for 5,100 prisoners.
This prison, which will cost about 35 million dollars, is inspired by the Salvadoran model of Nayib Bukelewhom Fernández considers a reference in matters of security.
The project is being developed at a time when Costa Rica is facing historic figures of homicides with around 900 each year, 70% of which are due to drug trafficking, authorities say.
