🔗 Share this article

He battled the legal system and the law won.

A couple of months subsequent to receiving a 27-year sentence for trying to “eradicate” the nation's democratic institutions, former president Jair Bolsonaro finally seems headed to prison.

Expected Incarceration

The found-guilty coup-monger – who had been subject to residential detention in his mansion while a set of court processes and appeals unfold – is largely predicted to be incarcerated in the coming days, during growing rumors that he will be sent to a well-known high-security prison.

Historical Remarks on Prisoners

Throughout Bolsonaro’s four-decade time in politics, the conservative ex- military man showed scant compassion for Brazil’s prison population.

“What’s the need to offer those lowlifes a easy time?” he previously wondered. “They should just get fucked, period. That's my view.”

On another occasion, Bolsonaro stated: “Should you not wish to end up in prison, the only thing required is not sexual assault, abduction or rob.”

Jail Facility Debate

But the possibility of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda prison top-security prison in Brasília has shocked backers, several of whom this week toured the facility in an seeming effort to discourage the supreme court from sending him there.

The senator, a politician from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was part of that quartet, said he anticipated the 70-year-old politician to be incarcerated in the coming fortnight and feared his destination could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s acute digestive issues – the outcome of a almost deadly assault during the 2018 presidential political campaign – meant it would be risky to keep the ex-leader there. “His condition is highly critical. He won’t be able to cope if they take him to Papuda … It would be dreadful,” said the senator, who also worried about packed cells and the standard of jail cuisine.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas remembered witnessing cells accommodating 40 prisoners: “That’s practically one square metre per detainee.

“We conversed to the convicts and they protest, of course, of the terrible cuisine,” added the senator.

Supporters React

Lucas is not the only voice speaking out ahead of the former president’s predicted detention.

Penning in a major publication, a different supporter, the ex- communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “severe” end to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” time in office and alleged Brazil was about to see “the largest unfairness in its record”.

“This is an wrong that gnaws the spirits of countless of Brazilians,” he stated.

Varied Popular Reaction

It is possibly accurate considering the substantial backing Bolsonaro retains on the conservative side. Yet his predicted jailing has also gladdened the feelings of millions individuals who feel he deserves to be imprisoned for plotting to block the elected leader from taking power – and even conspiring to have him killed.

Congressman Otoni, a politician for the sitting leader's Workers’ party, commented: “Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be put in a dark cell. Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to be sent in segregation. Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We want him to receive respectful treatment – but proper handling in prison. He cannot carry on being his personal jailer for his lifetime.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro allies, who have long applauding the harsh handling of inmates, had abruptly become aware to their rights. “Just now has the conservative fringe – which has repeatedly asserted that basic rights should not be for criminals – opted to inspect a jail to learn what situations are truly like,” he stated.

“Bolsonaro is a criminal,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he merited “humiliating, degrading conduct”.

Potential Prison Conditions

Despite talk that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which now holds about thousands of detainees, his more likely location seems to be a adjacent penitentiary for officers and other “unique” detainees referred to as Papudinha (Small Papuda).

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

As per information, the accommodation Bolsonaro could likely occupy in Papudinha is about 24 sq metres – roughly the dimensions of two parking spaces – and features a 12 sq metre bathroom with a shower and a 12 sq metre veranda. “Bolsonaro would be permitted to have a television and additionally a minibar in his room as long as they were supplied by his family,” information stated.

Ideological Reactions

Senator Lucas condemned the speculated plan to send the ex-president to Papuda as “a type of revenge” on the part of the presiding magistrate who led Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will rule on his fate in the {