Suspending the Constitution and Building Mega Prisons: Three Latin American Countries’ War on Crime
“La Policía Militar del Orden Público (PMOP),” 2018, courtesy of Honduras Tierra Libre.
Honduras plans to construct a mega prison similar to El Salvador’s “Terrorism Confinement Center” (CECOT) to tackle severe crime and gang issues. This facility, located on an island, will be the only island prison colony in the Western Hemisphere.
Honduras is one of the most violent countries in the world, largely due to gang activity. Both MS-13 and the 18th Street gangs are active, with estimates suggesting up to 40,000 gang members in the country. These gangs engage in extortion, street-level drug dealing, robbery, and murder-for-hire. In 2022, Honduras reported a homicide rate of 34 per 100,000 inhabitants, significantly higher than the global average.
