Costa Rica prison officer detained for giving cell phone to inmate

On the night of August 1, a prison officer identified as Castro was observed handing a cell phone to a detainee named Segura at the Juvenile Training Center Zurquí in Costa Rica. A fellow officer reported the incident, prompting immediate intervention by the guard station. Castro admitted the act, triggering the institution’s protocol. The Police Penitentiary Directorate coordinated with the Heredia Adjunct Prosecutor’s Office, which ordered her arrest and the initiation of criminal proceedings. The Ministry of Justice and Peace also opened an administrative sanction process. Justice Minister Gabriel Aguilar Vargas said, “Todo funcionario que traicione el uniforme enfrentará las consecuencias administrativas y judiciales que correspondan. No vamos a tolerar actos de corrupción dentro del sistema penitenciario.”