Jailhouse Surprise: Brazil's FormerPresident Bolsonaro Confronts Life Behind Bars

He contested the law and the law triumphed.

A couple of months following getting a quarter-century plus sentence for trying to “annihilate” Brazil’s democratic institutions, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro now appears headed to prison.

Anticipated Imprisonment

The convicted coup-monger – who had been under residential detention in his residence while a number of legal procedures and appeals unfold – is largely predicted to be jailed in the near future, amid growing speculation that he will be transferred to a notorious maximum security penitentiary.

Past Statements on Convicts

Throughout Bolsonaro’s four-decade time in politics, the conservative ex- soldier exhibited scant mercy for the country's jailed individuals.

“What’s the need to give those lowlifes a good life?” he once pondered. “They deserve to be fucked, end of story. That's my opinion.”

At another time, Bolsonaro stated: “Unless you desire to end up there, all you have to do is to avoid rape, abduction or rob.”

Prison Destination Speculation

Yet the possibility of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda top-security prison in Brasília has horrified allies, four of whom this week visited the prison in an seeming bid to dissuade the judiciary from sending him there.

Senator Lucas, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was among that group, said he predicted the septuagenarian leader to be imprisoned in the next 10 days and feared his assigned prison could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s acute gut ailments – the consequence of a life-threatening assault during the last presidential campaign – signified it would be dangerous to keep the one-time head of state there. “His condition is extremely serious. He will not be able to manage if they move him to Papuda … It will be awful,” he added, who also voiced anxiety about overcrowded cells and the standard of inmate food.

During his tour Papuda, Lucas noted seeing cells holding four dozen inmates: “That is practically one meter squared per detainee.

“We spoke to the convicts and they protest, of course, of the awful meals,” added the senator.

Supporters Voice Concerns

Lucas is not the lone figure expressing views prior to the former president’s predicted detention.

Penning in a prominent publication, a different supporter, the former communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “severe” end to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” political career and claimed Brazil was about to experience “the largest wrong in its past”.

“It is an injustice that eats away the spirits of many Brazilian citizens,” he stated.

Divided Popular Reaction

It is possibly accurate considering the considerable support Bolsonaro holds on the conservative side. But his anticipated incarceration has also gladdened the hearts of many individuals who think he ought to be incarcerated for plotting to block the elected leader from becoming president – and even plotting to have him assassinated.

Congressman Otoni, a representative for the incumbent president's political party, stated: “Nobody wants Bolsonaro to be sent in a dungeon. Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to be placed in solitary confinement. Nobody wants Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to lie on concrete. We desire him to receive proper treatment – but respectful treatment while incarcerated. He must not carry on being his own prison warden for his entire life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro allies, who have for a long time applauding the harsh treatment of inmates, had unexpectedly woken up to their privileges. “Just now has the conservative fringe – which has consistently claimed that basic rights are not for offenders – chosen to inspect a prison to learn what situations are actually like,” he stated.

“Bolsonaro is a offender,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he earned “degrading, demeaning treatment”.

Potential Jail Conditions

Despite rumors that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which now holds about fourteen thousand prisoners, his more likely destination appears to be a close prison for police officers and other “particular” inmates known as Papudinha (Small Papuda).

His potential cell are far more pleasant than those in the main prison, although nevertheless a world away from the opulence Bolsonaro experienced while residing in the impressive official residence, about 20 kilometers away.

Based on reports, the accommodation Bolsonaro could anticipate reside in in Papudinha is about 24 sq metres – roughly the dimensions of a couple of car spots – and features a 12 square meter bathroom with a shower and a 130 square foot veranda. “Bolsonaro would be allowed to have a set and even a small fridge in his cell as long as they were donated by his loved ones,” sources suggested.

Partisan Comments

He denounced the rumoured proposal to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “an act of payback” on the part of the presiding magistrate who oversaw Bolsonaro’s legal case and will rule on his fate in the {