Jailhouse Shock: The FormerPresident Bolsonaro Faces Life in Prison

He contested the legal system and justice triumphed.

Two months following being handed a twenty-seven-year sentence for seeking to “annihilate” the nation's democratic institutions, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro at last seems headed to prison.

Imminent Jailing

The adjudicated coup-monger – who had been living under house arrest in his mansion while a series of legal procedures and challenges play out – is widely expected to be incarcerated in the near future, amidst increasing speculation that he will be transferred to a notorious top-security facility.

Previous Remarks on Prisoners

Over Bolsonaro’s 40-year public life, the right-wing ex- military man showed scant compassion for Brazil’s prison population.

“Why should we provide these dirtbags a comfortable existence?” he previously wondered. “They ought to simply be fucked, period. That’s what I reckon.”

On another occasion, Bolsonaro stated: “If you don’t want to finish there, the only thing required is to avoid sexual assault, kidnap or theft.”

Incarceration Facility Speculation

But the idea of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda prison high-security prison in Brasília has shocked allies, four of whom this week inspected the complex in an obvious bid to prevent the high court from transferring him there.

Senator Lucas, a senator from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was part of that quartet, said he anticipated the 70-year-old politician to be incarcerated in the following week and a half and was concerned his destination could be Papuda.

He asserted Bolsonaro’s serious intestinal issues – the outcome of a almost deadly knife attack during the last election race – meant it would be hazardous to keep the one-time head of state there. “His [health] situation is highly critical. He cannot to cope if they move him to Papuda … It would be dreadful,” he added, who also expressed concern about packed cells and the condition of jail cuisine.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas remembered witnessing cells holding 40 detainees: “That’s practically one meter squared per detainee.

“We conversed to the convicts and they grumble, naturally, of the awful cuisine,” added the senator.

Allies Speak Out

He is not the lone figure expressing views prior to the one-time head of state's anticipated detention.

Authoring in a prominent daily, one more backer, the former communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “brutal” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” political career and claimed Brazil was about to experience “the biggest unfairness in its past”.

“This is an unfairness that eats away the hearts of countless of Brazilians,” he stated.

Varied Public Opinion

This could be accurate due to the substantial backing Bolsonaro maintains on the right-wing. However his predicted jailing has also warmed the spirits of numerous individuals who believe he ought to be imprisoned for conspiring to prevent the incoming president from becoming president – and also scheming to have him assassinated.

The lawmaker, a congressman for the incumbent administration's Workers’ party, commented: “Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to be placed in a dungeon. Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to be placed in segregation. Nobody wants Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We want him to receive proper handling – but proper treatment behind bars. He can’t continue being his own prison warden for his whole life.”

He observed how Bolsonaro supporters, who have spent years praising the severe treatment of inmates, had suddenly realized to their privileges. “Just now has the far-right – which has repeatedly argued that civil liberties should not be for offenders – opted to visit a penitentiary to find out what situations are truly like,” he remarked.

“Bolsonaro is a lawbreaker,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he deserved “shameful, degrading handling”.

Likely Prison Conditions

Regardless of rumors that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which now contains about 14,000 detainees, his expected destination looks to be a nearby jail for law enforcement and other “particular” inmates referred to as Papudinha (Small Papuda).

The accommodations are considerably more comfortable than those in the main prison, although still a far cry from the opulence Bolsonaro had while residing in the spectacular leader's home, approximately 20 kilometers away.

As per reports, the room Bolsonaro could anticipate occupy in Papudinha is about 24 square meters – about the size of vehicle spaces – and contains a 12 square meter restroom with a water facility and a 130 square foot terrace. “He could be authorized to have a television and also a small fridge in his cell as long as they were provided by his relatives,” sources suggested.

Political Responses

The lawmaker condemned the talked-about proposal to send the ex-president to Papuda as “a form of retaliation” on the part of the judicial authority who presided over Bolsonaro’s legal case and will rule on his outcome in the {