Ariel Castro transferred to isolation wing of Ohio prison for his own protection

Ariel Castro will spend his immediate prison future in isolation for his own safety, according to prison officials.

On Friday kidnapper Ariel Castro was transferred from a Cleveland jail to the Lorain Correctional Institution in Grafton, 24 miles away.

It is described as a clearinghouse for Ohio inmates and will be his residence until his longer term home is determined.

Ariel Castro, 53, can expect a bleak existence with a lot of time to ponder on his actions as his only contact will be guards and the inmates who will bring his meals.

As a high profile criminal, Ariel Castro will be a target for other inmates and so won’t be allowed to mix with the general prison population.

Department of Rehabilitation and Correction spokeswoman JoEllen Smith described Ariel Castro as “calm and cooperative” during Friday’s transfer.

Ariel Castro was strip-searched, photographed, fingerprinted and checked for gang markings. In the coming days he will undergo medical and mental health evaluations.

Ultimately Ariel Castro is expected to end up in the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, a maximum-security lockup about an hour and a half away from Cincinnati.

On August 1, an unrepentant Ariel Castro apologized for holding his three victims, Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus, who were hostage over a decade.

Sentenced to life in prison without parole, plus 1,000 years, Ariel Castro declared to the Cleveland court room he was “not a monster”.