Prison Shock: Brazil's Ex-President Bolsonaro Faces Life Behind Bars

He contested justice and the legal system triumphed.

Two months subsequent to being handed a twenty-seven-year sentence for trying to “annihilate” Brazil’s democratic institutions, former president Jair Bolsonaro at last appears jail-bound.

Imminent Jailing

The convicted plotter – who had been living under residential detention in his mansion while a set of judicial steps and petitions proceed – is broadly anticipated to be incarcerated in the near future, amidst mounting talk that he will be moved to a infamous high-security penitentiary.

Past Statements on Prisoners

Over Bolsonaro’s long public life, the far-right former military man displayed minimal sympathy for Brazil’s prison population.

“For what reason must we offer these lowlifes a good life?” he previously wondered. “They deserve to be screwed, end of story. That's my opinion.”

In another instance, Bolsonaro stated: “If you don’t want to finish there, all you have to do is to avoid rape, abduction or rob.”

Jail Destination Speculation

But the idea of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda prison top-security prison in Brasília has horrified backers, several of whom this week visited the facility in an obvious attempt to discourage the high court from banishing him there.

Senator Lucas, a senator from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was among that group, stated he predicted the septuagenarian leader to be jailed in the coming fortnight and was concerned his destination could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s acute intestinal issues – the consequence of a almost deadly knife attack during the last presidential campaign – meant it would be hazardous to keep the ex-leader there. “His health is extremely serious. He won’t be able to cope if they send him to Papuda … It would be dreadful,” said the senator, who also worried about packed cells and the condition of jail cuisine.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas recalled seeing cells accommodating forty prisoners: “It's almost one square meter per prisoner.

“We talked to the inmates and they complain, unsurprisingly, of the horrible meals,” remarked the senator.

Allies Speak Out

The senator isn't the sole person expressing views ahead of the one-time head of state's expected incarceration.

Authoring in a prominent publication, another ally, the ex- government official Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “severe” finale to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” time in office and alleged Brazil was about to experience “the biggest political injustice in its past”.

“It represents an injustice that gnaws the spirits of millions people in Brazil,” he stated.

Mixed Public Opinion

This could be correct given the considerable backing Bolsonaro retains on the conservative side. However his anticipated imprisonment has also gladdened the spirits of many individuals who believe he deserves to be imprisoned for planning to stop the incoming president from taking power – and also plotting to have him assassinated.

Reimont Otoni, a representative for the incumbent leader's political party, commented: “Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to be sent in a hole. Nobody wants Bolsonaro to be placed in solitary confinement. Nobody desires Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to lie on concrete. We desire him to receive proper treatment – but dignified handling behind bars. He can’t persist being his personal jailer for his whole life.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro allies, who have spent years celebrating the severe handling of prisoners, had suddenly realized to their entitlements. “Recently has the extreme right – which has consistently claimed that basic rights were not for lawbreakers – opted to inspect a jail to find out what circumstances are truly like,” he said.

“He is a offender,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he earned “shameful, demeaning handling”.

Potential Prison Environment

In spite of speculation that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which now houses about 14,000 prisoners, his more likely destination looks to be a adjacent penitentiary for officers and other “unique” inmates called Papudinha (Little Papuda).

The accommodations are considerably more comfortable than those in the larger jail, although still a far cry from the comfort Bolsonaro had while living in the spectacular presidential palace, around 20 kilometers away.

Based on reports, the accommodation Bolsonaro could likely inhabit in Papudinha is about 24 square meters – approximately the area of a couple of car spots – and includes a 12 square meter bathroom with a bathing area and a 12 sq metre terrace. “Bolsonaro would be authorized to have a set and even a small fridge in his quarters as long as they were supplied by his loved ones,” the report indicated.

Ideological Reactions

The lawmaker denounced the talked-about proposal to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “a form of payback” on the part of the presiding magistrate who led Bolsonaro’s legal case and will determine his outcome in the {