Jailhouse Shock: The Ex-President Jair Bolsonaro Confronts Life Behind Bars

He battled the legal system and justice triumphed.

Sixty days following receiving a quarter-century plus sentence for seeking to “destroy” Brazil’s political system, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro at last appears destined for incarceration.

Anticipated Imprisonment

The adjudicated plotter – who had been under house arrest in his mansion while a series of legal procedures and appeals play out – is widely expected to be jailed in the near future, during increasing talk that he will be sent to a notorious top-security penitentiary.

Historical Remarks on Inmates

Over Bolsonaro’s long time in politics, the conservative ex- soldier exhibited scant compassion for the country's prison population.

“Why should we give these lowlifes a easy time?” he previously wondered. “They should just get messed, period. That's my opinion.”

On another occasion, Bolsonaro stated: “Should you not wish to finish behind bars, the only thing required is to avoid sexual assault, abduction or theft.”

Jail Facility Discussion

Yet the prospect of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda prison maximum security prison in Brasília has appalled supporters, four of whom this week toured the prison in an obvious attempt to dissuade the high court from sending him there.

Senator Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was part of that quartet, claimed he anticipated the 70-year-old politician to be incarcerated in the coming fortnight and feared his location could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s acute intestinal problems – the result of a near-fatal knife attack during the last presidential campaign – meant it would be risky to keep the one-time head of state there. “His condition is very grave. He won’t be able to manage if they send him to Papuda … It could be terrible,” he added, who also expressed concern about cramped cells and the quality of inmate food.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas noted observing cells containing 40 prisoners: “That is almost one square meter per prisoner.

“We conversed to the prisoners and they grumble, unsurprisingly, of the awful meals,” continued the senator.

Allies Voice Concerns

Lucas is not the sole person voicing opinions before the one-time head of state's predicted incarceration.

Authoring in a prominent daily, a different supporter, the ex- government official Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “brutal” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” public service and asserted Brazil was about to witness “the largest wrong in its past”.

“This is an unfairness that eats away the spirits of millions of Brazilians,” Wajngarten wrote.

Varied General Reaction

It is possibly true given the substantial support Bolsonaro retains on the conservative side. Yet his predicted incarceration has also warmed the spirits of many other people who feel he ought to be incarcerated for planning to prevent the incoming president from becoming president – and also plotting to have him murdered.

Congressman Otoni, a congressman for the incumbent leader's allied group, said: “No one wishes Bolsonaro to be put in a hole. Nobody wants Bolsonaro to be put in isolation. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We want him to get proper care – but dignified treatment in prison. He must not carry on being his personal jailer for his entire life.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro allies, who have spent years applauding the tough conditions of convicts, had abruptly become aware to their entitlements. “Recently has the far-right – which has repeatedly claimed that human rights are not for offenders – opted to visit a prison to find out what situations are actually like,” he said.

“The former president is a criminal,” Otoni insisted, but that did not mean he earned “humiliating, degrading handling”.

Likely Jail Facilities

In spite of speculation that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which presently contains about 14,000 detainees, his expected destination seems to be a adjacent jail for law enforcement and other “particular” inmates known as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

His potential cell are far more comfortable than those in the larger jail, although nevertheless a distant from the luxury Bolsonaro had while living in the stunning presidential palace, around 20 kilometers away.

Based on reports, the cell Bolsonaro could anticipate inhabit in Papudinha measures about 24 sq metres – approximately the area of a couple of car spots – and contains a 12 sq metre bathroom with a water facility and a 130 square foot veranda. “Bolsonaro would be authorized to have a set and even a minibar in his quarters as long as they were provided by his loved ones,” the report suggested.

Partisan Comments

He criticized the rumoured plan to send the former leader to Papuda as “an act of revenge” on the part of the presiding magistrate who led Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will decide his future in the {