Prison Surprise: The FormerPresident Bolsonaro Faces Time Behind Bars

He battled the legal system and justice prevailed.

Sixty days after getting a quarter-century plus sentence for trying to “destroy” Brazil’s democratic institutions, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro now appears destined for incarceration.

Imminent Jailing

The adjudicated plotter – who had been under home confinement in his mansion while a number of court processes and petitions play out – is largely predicted to be imprisoned in the coming days, amid increasing rumors that he will be moved to a notorious maximum security penitentiary.

Historical Comments on Convicts

Throughout Bolsonaro’s long time in politics, the far-right former paratrooper displayed scant sympathy for Brazil’s jailed individuals.

“Why should we offer those scoundrels a good life?” he previously wondered. “They deserve to be fucked, period. That's my view.”

At another time, Bolsonaro stated: “Should you not wish to wind up behind bars, you simply need is not rape, kidnap or rob.”

Prison Location Discussion

However the idea of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda prison top-security prison in Brasília has shocked allies, several of whom this week visited the facility in an apparent effort to discourage the judiciary from transferring him there.

Senator Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was part of that quartet, stated he predicted the elderly figure to be imprisoned in the following week and a half and was concerned his assigned prison could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s acute intestinal ailments – the outcome of a life-threatening stabbing during the last presidential campaign – meant it would be hazardous to keep the ex-leader there. “His [health] situation is extremely serious. He will not be able to handle it if they take him to Papuda … It could be awful,” he added, who also expressed concern about cramped cells and the quality of inmate food.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas recalled witnessing cells containing four dozen inmates: “That is almost one square metre per prisoner.

“We spoke to the convicts and they grumble, unsurprisingly, of the horrible food,” continued the senator.

Backers Voice Concerns

He is not the lone figure speaking out prior to the former president’s predicted incarceration.

Writing in a major newspaper, a different supporter, the former government official Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “brutal” end to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” public service and claimed Brazil was about to witness “the biggest unfairness in its past”.

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

Mixed Popular Reaction

That may be correct due to the significant following Bolsonaro retains on the right-wing. However his anticipated jailing has also pleased the spirits of millions individuals who think he deserves to be jailed for plotting to stop the incoming president from becoming president – and also scheming to have him murdered.

Reimont Otoni, a politician for the current president's political party, said: “Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to be placed in a dungeon. No one wishes Bolsonaro to be put in isolation. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We desire him to obtain dignified treatment – but dignified treatment while incarcerated. He must not continue being his self-appointed guard for his entire life.”

He observed how Bolsonaro backers, who have for a long time praising the tough conditions of prisoners, had suddenly become aware to their privileges. “Just now has the far-right – which has always asserted that human rights were not for lawbreakers – decided to tour a prison to discover what situations are really like,” he remarked.

“Bolsonaro is a offender,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he deserved “shameful, demeaning treatment”.

Potential Incarceration Environment

In spite of talk that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which now houses about 14,000 inmates, his more likely location looks to be a close prison for officers and other “unique” detainees known as Papudinha (Small Papuda).

The accommodations are far more comfortable than those in the larger jail, although nevertheless a world away from the luxury Bolsonaro had while occupying the stunning official residence, around 20 kilometers away.

As per information, the cell Bolsonaro could likely occupy in Papudinha measures about 24 sq metres – about the dimensions of vehicle spaces – and includes a 12 square meter WC with a shower and a 12 square meter terrace. “He could be allowed to have a set and even a minibar in his quarters as long as they were supplied by his relatives,” sources suggested.

Ideological Reactions

The lawmaker condemned the talked-about idea to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “a type of retaliation” on the part of the presiding magistrate who oversaw Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will determine his future in the {