President Xiomara Castro of Honduras announced an aggressive new plan to combat rampant gang violence and organized crime. Central to this strategy is the construction of a 20,000-capacity “mega-prison,” designed to alleviate overcrowding and house dangerous criminals. This initiative mirrors the hard-line anti-crime measures implemented by neighboring El Salvador.
President Castro outlined a series of emergency measures aimed at addressing the country’s high rates of murder, drug trafficking, extortion, and other crimes. She emphasized the urgent need for security forces to intervene in areas most affected by gang violence. “Honduran security forces must urgently intervene in all parts of the country that are reeling from the highest rates of gang violence, drug trafficking, and money laundering,” she said.
The new mega-prison will be constructed between the eastern departments of Olancho and Gracias a Dios, virtually doubling the nation’s current prison capacity. Honduras currently houses approximately 21,000 inmates across 30 detention facilities, which are severely overcrowded. The new facility aims to ease this burden and provide a more controlled environment for incarcerating gang members and other serious offenders.
In addition to building the mega-prison, President Castro announced plans to increase the military’s role in combating organized crime and to prosecute drug traffickers as terrorists. This includes operations targeting plantations where coca leaf and marijuana are grown, as well as hubs where illegal drugs are processed.
The government also aims to reform the penal code to allow for collective trials of gang members and drug traffickers, a measure that could lead to more efficient prosecution of these criminals. Authorities are pushing for changes that would enable the detention of suspected gang leaders without immediate charges, reflecting a more stringent approach to crime control.
Honduras has been grappling with a high homicide rate, nearly six times the global average, with 34 people per 100,000 killed in 2023. The state of emergency declared in December 2022, which suspended parts of the constitution, remains in effect as part of the government’s effort to curb gang-related violence.
The proposed mega-prison and other measures echo the strategies of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, who has built the largest prison in Latin America and implemented mass arrests to combat gang violence. While Bukele’s tactics have drawn criticism from human rights groups, they have also been effective in reducing crime, garnering admiration from citizens in Honduras and other countries in the region.
Despite these new initiatives, critics question whether Honduras can replicate El Salvador’s success. The country’s entrenched corruption and the power of criminal gangs present significant challenges. Nonetheless, the government reports a 20% reduction in homicides in the first five months of 2024 compared to the same period in the previous year, indicating some initial progress.
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