BAGHDAD — Iraq's infamous Abu Ghraib prison reopened Saturday with a new name and official promises of humane treatment in a lockup notorious as a center for abuse — both under Saddam Hussein and the U.S. military.

Judicial authorities showed off the renovated compound during a tour that included a sewing room, exercise equipment, computers, a library, outdoor recreational areas, greenhouses and a barber shop.

"We turned it to something like a resort, not prison. The first step was to change the name," Mohammed al-Zeidi, the assistant director of the Iraqi Rehabilitation Department.

Abdul-Mutalb Jassim, general-director of the Iraqi Rehabilitation Department, said about 400 convicts have been transferred to the prison. A total of some 3,000 inmates are expected shortly with an eventual total capacity of 12,000 to 15,000, according to the Justice Ministry.

Officials defend their decision to reopen the prison — now called the Baghdad Central Prison — saying they need the space as the U.S. military hands over about 15,000 detainees in its custody to the Iraqis under a new security agreement.

The compound west of Baghdad became the center of a global scandal in 2004 after photographs were released showing U.S. soldiers sexually humiliating inmates.

The 280-acre prison, which was already notorious as a torture center under Saddam Hussein, closed in 2006.