In El Salvador, shaven-headed and heavily tattooed prisoners are locked up for 23-and-a-half hours a day, never seeing sunlight, with no family visits, recreational spaces, or rehabilitation programmes. This is life inside the Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT), a mega-prison built to hold up to 40,000 inmates, described as the world's toughest jail. These men, members of notorious gangs like MS-13 and Barrio 18, have little hope of release. The prison has boosted President Nayib Bukele's popularity, but critics call it a 'black hole of human rights'. After broadcaster Richard Madeley visited the £85million facility, questions have arisen over whether Britain can learn from such a harsh regime.
UK Prison System at Breaking Point
The UK's prison system, routinely described as at breaking point, suffers from overcrowding, attacks on staff, absconding inmates, staff-inmate relationships, and drones smuggling in phones and drugs. The government announced plans for US-style 'supermax units' for the most violent terrorists. Currently, Britain's most secure prison is Belmarsh's High Security Unit (HSU), a 'prison within a prison' with a 20ft perimeter wall, electric gates, and rigorous searches. However, even here, jihadis, rapists, and murderers enjoy luxuries like playing pool, spending hours outside their cells, chatting, going to the gym, and using the library.
Former Prison Governor's View
Former prison governor Ian Acheson told the Daily Mail: 'The way we manage very dangerous people in this country is not currently sufficient for the threat they pose.' He said the current system 'appeases' inmates who want to 'cause lethal harm', leading to nearly lethal attacks on officers. He called for a 'supermax' capability where control is prioritised over rehabilitation.
El Salvador's Dramatic Crime Reduction
El Salvador had the world's highest murder rate until recently, with 106 homicides per 100,000 people. This plummeted to 1.9 in 2024 after a sweeping crackdown on violence and gangs. Inmates serve sentences from 60 to over 1,000 years. Meanwhile, the UK Labour government faced accusations of 'soft justice' after launching an early release scheme to battle record jail populations.
Mr Acheson called it a 'remarkable public safety achievement' but questioned sustainability, noting that incarcerating 2.6% of the adult population reduces crime in the short term but may not be desirable. He said: 'Cultural and societal differences matter. El Salvador's brutal regime depends on a public desperation about gang violence that Britain hasn't experienced. Strip men to their underwear, shave their heads, deny them human contact and medical care, and you don't reform them — you warehouse rage.'
Conditions Inside CECOT vs Belmarsh HSU
Cells and Living Conditions
At CECOT, over 80 inmates sleep in metal bunks stacked four high with no mattresses or sheets. They never see sunlight, and bright artificial lights stay on 24/7. Temperatures reach 35C, and inmates are allowed out for only 30 minutes a day for exercise. They wear only boxer shorts, have shaved heads, and have nothing to do. No books, magazines, newspapers, or screens are allowed. Meals are eaten in cells with hands, as utensils are banned. Water is rationed. In contrast, Belmarsh's HSU has 48 cells across two floors, each inmate in their own cell about 6ft by 10ft, with a small window. Inmates are unlocked at 8am, allowed an hour of exercise, social time including pool, gym, and reading groups, and locked back at 4.30pm until 8am next morning.
Food
CECOT inmates get three meals a day of rice, beans, pasta, and a boiled egg, eaten with hands. At Belmarsh, inmates get three meals a day from a rotating menu with at least five choices and a hot meal daily, plus constant access to drinking water. However, cooking is banned in the HSU to prevent attacks with oil or utensils.
Freedoms
At CECOT, there are no workshops, libraries, visitors, or rehabilitation. Inmates are confined to cells 23.5 hours a day, must whisper, and have no activities. At Belmarsh HSU, inmates have access to a gym, libraries, social and legal visits, religious services, and reading groups. The only missing facility is work activity.
Security Measures
CECOT is an isolated fortress with checkpoints a mile away, a nine-metre concrete wall, electrified fencing, and over 1,000 armed, masked guards. At Belmarsh HSU, officers are highly trained and rotated every three years to prevent familiarity. However, attacks still occur, such as the 2020 assault on a custodial manager by terrorists including Hashem Abedi.
Notable Inmates
Belmarsh HSU has held Islamic extremist Abu Hamza, violent prisoner Charles Bronson, Soham child killer Ian Huntley, and Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi. CECOT holds high-ranking members of MS-13 and 18th Street gangs, as well as Venezuelans deported by the US in March 2024 for alleged gang ties.
