Jailhouse Surprise: The FormerPresident Bolsonaro Confronts Life Behind Bars

He contested the legal system and justice won.

A couple of months after getting a 27-year sentence for trying to “eradicate” Brazil’s political system, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro finally looks destined for incarceration.

Expected Imprisonment

The convicted instigator – who had been subject to residential detention in his residence while a set of court processes and appeals unfold – is widely expected to be imprisoned in the near future, amidst growing rumors that he will be sent to a notorious high-security prison.

Historical Remarks on Inmates

Throughout Bolsonaro’s 40-year time in politics, the conservative ex- military man showed little compassion for the country's jailed individuals.

“For what reason must we give these dirtbags a good life?” he once mused. “They should just get messed, full-fucking-stop. That's my opinion.”

On another occasion, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “Should you not wish to finish behind bars, the only thing required is to avoid sexual assault, abduction or theft.”

Incarceration Facility Discussion

Yet the prospect of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda prison top-security prison in Brasília has shocked supporters, several of whom this week visited the facility in an obvious bid to dissuade the judiciary from transferring him there.

The senator, a senator from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was one of the visitors, said he anticipated the 70-year-old politician to be incarcerated in the next 10 days and worried his assigned prison could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s acute digestive ailments – the outcome of a life-threatening assault during the last political campaign – implied it would be hazardous to keep the one-time head of state there. “His [health] situation is extremely serious. He will not be able to handle it if they send him to Papuda … It will be terrible,” said the senator, who also expressed concern about cramped cells and the standard of jail cuisine.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas noted observing cells accommodating four dozen prisoners: “That is practically one meter squared per detainee.

“We spoke to the inmates and they complain, naturally, of the awful cuisine,” added the senator.

Allies Speak Out

Lucas is not the lone figure voicing opinions ahead of the one-time head of state's expected detention.

Penning in a major daily, another ally, the ex- cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “brutal” finale to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” public service and alleged Brazil was about to experience “the biggest political injustice in its history”.

“It is an wrong that erodes the hearts of many of Brazilians,” the former minister said.

Mixed Public Reaction

It is possibly true considering the considerable support Bolsonaro maintains on the conservative side. But his expected jailing has also warmed the spirits of many individuals who believe he deserves to be jailed for planning to prevent the elected leader from assuming office – and additionally scheming to have him murdered.

Congressman Otoni, a representative for the incumbent administration's allied group, commented: “Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to be put in a dark cell. No one desires Bolsonaro to be placed in isolation. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to lie on concrete. We wish him to obtain proper handling – but proper handling behind bars. He can’t continue being his self-appointed guard for his whole life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro supporters, who have spent years applauding the harsh treatment of inmates, had suddenly realized to their privileges. “Recently has the far-right – which has repeatedly argued that human rights were not for lawbreakers – opted to visit a jail to learn what circumstances are actually like,” he remarked.

“He is a criminal,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he merited “degrading, degrading handling”.

Potential Incarceration Environment

Despite talk that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which currently houses about 14,000 prisoners, his more likely assigned facility looks to be a adjacent jail for officers and other “unique” prisoners known as Papudinha (Small Papuda).

Its cells are considerably more pleasant than those in the larger jail, although nonetheless a far cry from the comfort Bolsonaro had while living in the impressive leader's home, about a short distance away.

According to sources, the accommodation Bolsonaro could likely inhabit in Papudinha has about 24 square meters – about the size of two parking spaces – and includes a 130 square foot bathroom with a bathing area and a 130 square foot terrace. “He could be authorized to have a TV and even a minibar in his cell as long as they were provided by his loved ones,” information stated.

Partisan Comments

Senator Lucas criticized the rumoured plan to send the former leader to Papuda as “a type of revenge” on the part of the presiding magistrate who led Bolsonaro’s legal case and will determine his fate in the {