El Salvador's mega jail can help fix our 'broken' prison system, says Richard Madeley: The lessons Britain can learn from one of the world's harshest prison regimes

By MARK DUELL, DEPUTY CHIEF REPORTER (DIGITAL) Published: 00:53, 22 May 2026 | Updated: 00:53, 22 May 2026 Richard Madeley has insisted Britain can learn lessons to improve its beleaguered prison system from the world's toughest jail in El Salvador. The broadcaster spent time inside the Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot), the cornerstone of Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele's war on drug cartels and key to deportations from the US under President Donald Trump. Madeley witnessed 3,000-shaven headed inmates including gang members, rapists and terrorists, sat in silence in windowless concrete cells where they were kept locked up for 23 and a half hours a day. And the Good Morning Britain host said the harsh regime inside the £85million jail in Tecoluca could help authorities in Britain fix what he described as the 'broken' prison system. Speaking ahead of new Channel 5 documentary 'Inside the World's Mega Prison' airing next Wednesday, Madeley said: 'I think Cecot is probably a unique, brutally bespoke solution to the horrors that plagued ordinary El Salvadorians for so long. 'But I do believe there are lessons we can learn and apply to repair our own broken prison system.  'Namely, that once you've agreed on the level of security and punishment and deterrence you want from it, you can achieve consistent results. You just need the application and determination to do it.' Richard Madeley inside the Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot) in Tecoluca, El Salvador 3,000 shaven-headed inmates are crammed behind floor-to-ceiling bars with nothing to do There are no family visits, no recreational spaces and no rehabilitation programmes at the jail He added that the prison was 'notorious for its harshness', saying: The absolute enforcement of prison rules there could hardly be more different from the lax way most UK jails are run, with drugs and phones smuggled in, and prisoners running whole wings in casual defiance of prison staff. 'I wanted to see if Cecot's reputation for severity was justified, but also if there were any lessons we could learn here at home.' In the UK, the Labour Government launched an emergency early release scheme in September 2024, days after the jail population reached a record high of 88,521 – leading to accusations from the Conservatives of 'soft justice'. Asked whether visiting the jail changed the way he thinks about crime and punishment, Madeley said: 'As I say in the film, there is no question that Cecot breaches human rights. 'The more difficult question is whether El Salvador had any alternative if it wanted to wrest control back from the psychopaths who had terrorised the general population for decades. 'And Cecot certainly demonstrates that however you choose to run your jails, whatever the rules and protocols you decide are appropriate, you can enforce them. You just need the will - and the leadership - to do it.' In Cecot, prisoners wear only boxer shorts with their heads shaved, lights are never switched off and there are no family visits, recreational spaces or rehabilitation programmes. Madeley said the men have 'absolutely nothing whatsoever to do' while sat in their cells, given they are not allowed books, magazines, newspapers or screens.  There are no workshops, libraries, opportunities to learn kitchen skills and no visitors. He added: 'All meals must be taken in their cells, inside which they spend 23 and a half hours every day, with just 30 minutes outside for brief, heavily-guarded exercise. Good Morning Britain host Madeley has received rare access to the maximum-security jail  Suspected gang members sit in metal bunks stacked four beds high in concrete cells An inmate receives a medical examination at the Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot) 'They just sit on their bunks, day in, day out, and the prison lights stay on 24/7, never dimmed. All will die in this prison. It's a living death.' The 57-acre facility was built to hold up to 40,000 prisoners and currently houses an estimated 15,000 inmates.  Many are suspected members of rival gangs that terrorised the country for decades, alongside convicted murderers and rapists. Madeley said: 'Nothing, absolutely nothing, can prepare you for the sight of 3,000 shaven-headed men crammed behind floor-to-ceiling bars. No doors. No screening. 'They sit there in permanently open view through the bars, on tiers of metal bunks four-high - no mattresses, just thin cotton sheets - staring out. It's one hell of a sight' Mr Bukele ordered the mega-prison to be built in March 2022 as part of his campaign against El Salvador´s gangs, and it opened a year later. Able to hold 40,000 inmates, Cecot is made up of eight sprawling pavilions. Its cells hold 65 to 70 prisoners each and none of them receive visits. There are no programmes preparing them to return to society after their sentences and no workshops or educational programs. They are never allowed outside. The exceptions are occasional motivational talks from prisoners who have gained a level of trust from prison officials.  Prisoners sit in rows in the corridor outside their cells for the talks or are led through exercise regimens under the supervision of guards. The prison's dining halls, break rooms, gym and board games are for guards. The maximum-security jail in Tecoluca is shown in the new Channel 5 television documentary Able to hold 40,000 inmates, Cecot is made up of eight sprawling pavilions in Tecoluca Until recently, El Salvador had the highest murder rate in the world, with 106 homicides per 100,000 people. The country was plagued by brutal gang violence which regularly featured extortion, kidnapping, murder, human trafficking and drug smuggling . But following Mr Bukele's election in 2019, his government launched a major security crackdown that has seen tens of thousands of suspected gang members detained - and a claimed huge reduction in the murder rate. This has attracted praise from Mr Trump – whose government struck a deal with Mr Bukele to accept what they described as transfer and imprisonment of foreign criminals to El Salvador. Last week, official figures revealed the number of people deported to El Salvador from the US nearly doubled in the first months of 2026 . The US deported 5,033 Salvadorans back to their country in the first three months of 2026 compared with 2,547 deportees in the same period in 2025. The government of El Salvador - where 2 per cent of the population are now in prison - says gang violence has been responsible for 200,000 deaths over the past three decades. Richard Madeley: Inside the World's Mega Prison, Channel 5 on May 27 at 9pm  No comments have so far been submitted. 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