ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq's justice ministry is set to open university education centers inside the notorious Abu Ghraib Prison, located west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, as part of efforts to strengthen rehabilitation and reform programs for inmates, the state run al-Sabah newspaper reported on Monday.

“The project aims to provide inmates with the opportunity to obtain university qualifications that contribute to their reintegration into society after the completion of their sentences,” Murad al-Saadi, the ministry's media director, told al-Sabah.

Saadi said the ministry also has a plan to establish university classes in women's prisons in Baghdad and other provinces.

He added that prison education programs currently include literacy and accelerated learning courses.

Saadi said the ministry is cooperating with al-Ayen University in Dhi Qar province and has opened 50 seats in various academic disciplines for inmates.

The programs will be offered through both “in person and online education,” he said.

The detention facility gained international notoriety after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, after images surfaced showing US personnel abusing Iraqi detainees.

The prison had also been used under Saddam Hussein's regime to hold political prisoners and convicted criminals.

Control of the facility was transferred to Iraqi authorities in 2009, after which it was renovated and reopened as part of Iraq's prison system.