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Bolsonaro Pushes Five Max-Security Prisons, Experts Warn Risks

6/25/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Senator Flavio Bolsonaro announced a plan for five new maximum-security prisons modeled on El Salvador’s CECOT facility.
The proposal was endorsed by right-wing candidates Nikolas Ferreira and former Governor Romeu Zema as a “Bukele model” crackdown before the October 2026 election.
Experts warned that poorly designed mega-prisons risk exacerbating Brazil’s gang-driven crime problem.

History

Historical Context

After Bukele launched the nationwide gang crackdown in March 2022, his government opened the 40,000-capacity Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca on 31 January 2023. The facility coincided with a 56.8 % fall in homicides that year, which Bukele credits to the prison’s deterrent effect. Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro now cites the El Salvador model while urging similar mega-prisons in Brazil.

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Story summary

Senator Flavio Bolsonaro announced a plan for five new maximum-security prisons modeled on El Salvador’s CECOT facility.
The proposal was endorsed by right-wing candidates Nikolas Ferreira and former Governor Romeu Zema as a “Bukele model” crackdown before the October 2026 election.
Experts warned that poorly designed mega-prisons risk exacerbating Brazil’s gang-driven crime problem.

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