Overcrowding in Iraq's prisons

Almost 150 men are kept in a wing the size of a classroom

Some prisoners complain of being beaten by guards

There is only one shower and three dirty toilets for all the men

Listen Listen to Andrew North's report from Baghdad's Rasafah prison (4 mins 12 secs)

The BBC has uncovered evidence of serious overcrowding in Iraqi prisons.

With so many thousands of people arrested during security operations and the judicial system unable to cope with the caseload, the country's jails are at bursting point.

Prisoners are tightly packed into small rooms.

This means that they find themselves having to take turns sleeping and standing up.

Others are forced to sleep underneath the beds, with some even sleeping next to the toilet area.

There is no exercise area, so prisoners are kept inside for weeks at a time.

Footage from other prisons confirms that these conditions are not an isolated case.

Yet, under the proposed security agreement with the United States, Iraqi authorities are eventually due to take control of all prisoners under US control as well.

The BBC's Iraq correspondent, Andrew North, gained exclusive access to Baghdad's Rasafah prison.

First broadcast 25 November 2008