Jailhouse Shock: Brazil's Ex-President Bolsonaro Confronts Life in Prison

He fought justice and the law prevailed.

Two months subsequent to receiving a quarter-century plus sentence for trying to “destroy” Brazil’s political system, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro finally looks destined for incarceration.

Imminent Incarceration

The convicted plotter – who has been under house arrest in his residence while a series of judicial steps and challenges play out – is broadly anticipated to be incarcerated in the coming days, during mounting speculation that he will be sent to a well-known top-security penitentiary.

Previous Comments on Inmates

During Bolsonaro’s long time in politics, the far-right ex- soldier showed little compassion for Brazil’s jailed individuals.

“For what reason must we give these dirtbags a easy time?” he previously wondered. “They ought to simply be messed, end of story. That's my view.”

At another time, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “Should you not wish to end up there, you simply need is not sexual assault, kidnap or rob.”

Jail Facility Discussion

However the prospect of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda high-security prison in Brasília has horrified allies, a group of four this week inspected the prison in an apparent bid to dissuade the judiciary from sending him there.

Izalci Lucas, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s political party who was one of the visitors, said he anticipated the 70-year-old leader to be jailed in the next 10 days and worried his location could be Papuda.

He asserted Bolsonaro’s acute intestinal issues – the result of a near-fatal assault during the 2018 election race – implied it would be risky to keep the former president there. “His condition is extremely serious. He will not be able to manage if they move him to Papuda … It will be dreadful,” he added, who also expressed concern about packed cells and the standard of jail cuisine.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas noted seeing cells accommodating 40 prisoners: “That’s virtually one square meter per prisoner.

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

Allies React

Lucas is not the only voice speaking out prior to the ex-leader's anticipated incarceration.

Penning in a prominent publication, one more backer, the former government official Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “harsh” end to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” political career and asserted Brazil was about to experience “the greatest unfairness in its record”.

“It is an unfairness that eats away the spirits of countless people in Brazil,” he stated.

Divided Popular Opinion

This could be correct due to the significant support Bolsonaro maintains on the right-wing. Yet his anticipated imprisonment has also gladdened the hearts of many individuals who believe he deserves to be incarcerated for conspiring to prevent the incoming president from assuming office – and even scheming to have him assassinated.

Congressman Otoni, a representative for the incumbent leader's political party, commented: “Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to be placed in a hole. No one wishes Bolsonaro to be put in isolation. No one desires Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We desire him to obtain proper care – but dignified handling behind bars. He cannot carry on being his self-appointed guard for his entire life.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro backers, who have spent years celebrating the tough conditions of inmates, had unexpectedly woken up to their entitlements. “Only now has the conservative fringe – which has repeatedly asserted that human rights were not for criminals – opted to visit a penitentiary to discover what circumstances are really like,” he said.

“Bolsonaro is a offender,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he deserved “degrading, insulting conduct”.

Likely Prison Environment

Despite speculation that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which now contains about 14,000 prisoners, his expected assigned facility seems to be a close jail for police officers and other “special” prisoners known as Papudinha (Small Papuda).

Its cells are considerably more pleasant than those in the main prison, although nevertheless a world away from the opulence Bolsonaro had while living in the spectacular presidential palace, about 20 kilometers away.

Based on reports, the room Bolsonaro could anticipate inhabit in Papudinha is about 260 square feet – approximately the dimensions of a couple of car spots – and contains a 130 square foot bathroom with a water facility and a 12 square meter balcony. “The ex-president might be permitted to have a set and additionally a small fridge in his quarters as long as they were donated by his loved ones,” the report indicated.

Partisan Responses

Senator Lucas criticized the speculated plan to send the former leader to Papuda as “a form of payback” on the part of the supreme court judge who oversaw Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will determine his future in the {