Shocking Images-Inside El Salvador's crowded secretive prison pits

 Think our prisons are crowded? Check the shocking images of a secret prison in El Salvador. It was initially designed for for temporary 72-hour stays but many of its inmates have been there for years. The cells, each 12 feet wide and 15 feet tall are crammed with more than 30 people - all veterans of the country's vicious war between the MS-13 and M18 gangs.

The men in these inhumane cells are hidden from public view, but one reporter from counter-culture magazine VICE, managed to gain access . He was shown the prison pits by a police officer in El Salvador disgusted with the prisoners treatment hoping that the pictures taken will pressure the government into improving their life while incarcerated, the images portray the fallout from El Salvador's fragile truce following decades of near civil-war between the two powerful gangs.

More photos after the cut..