Quintana Roo’s New Maximum Security Prison Plan

Quintana Roo — The Government of Quintana Roo has reactivated efforts to consolidate the construction of the State Maximum Security Penitentiary Center, a project considered key to addressing prison overcrowding and strengthening the operational capacity of the penitentiary system.

According to the Secretary of Citizen Security, Julio César Gómez Torres, the project will require an investment exceeding three billion pesos.

A Strategic Prison in the Border Area of Puerto Morelos

The complex will be built on an already available plot between the municipalities of Benito Juárez and Leona Vicario, in the delegation of Puerto Morelos. It will have an initial capacity of two thousand inmates, with the possibility of expanding to eight thousand, depending on the growth of the prison population and the state’s security needs.

Gómez Torres highlighted that, although the project is advancing, it involves long timelines and significant resources.

“These works generally involve many resources and a lot of time. We need the construction of a new Cereso; we are expanding dormitories and stay areas to address overcrowding,” he explained.

Growing Overcrowding and Urgent Need for Infrastructure

Currently, the prison population in Quintana Roo amounts to four thousand six hundred people, which has forced the state government to temporarily enable new dormitories and stay areas.

The increase in detentions linked to legal proceedings has also pressured the system, generating the urgency for a prison that meets federal standards and has sufficient capacity.

The official stated that the project already has technical feasibility studies and the authorized land. However, its progress has been slower due to applicable regulatory updates for maximum security centers.

Environmental and Regulatory Requirements Delay Progress

The work must comply with the Environmental Impact Statement (MIA) and other federal procedures that are currently still in process.

Gómez Torres emphasized that construction cannot begin without ensuring full compliance with official regulations.

“We cannot build a prison that does not comply with established norms; these complexes must meet official regulations in matters of security,” he stressed.

First Stage Could Begin in 2026

The project will be included in the budget proposal for the next year and, according to the head of Citizen Security, the first stage could begin during the second half of 2026, with the intention of achieving significant progress before the end of the current administration.