Jailhouse Surprise: The FormerPresident Jair Bolsonaro Faces Time Behind Bars

He contested the law and the law won.

Two months subsequent to being handed a quarter-century plus sentence for attempting to “destroy” the nation's democratic institutions, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro now seems jail-bound.

Imminent Incarceration

The found-guilty plotter – who had been subject to house arrest in his residence while a series of judicial steps and appeals unfold – is widely expected to be incarcerated in the near future, during growing speculation that he will be sent to a notorious top-security penitentiary.

Past Remarks on Prisoners

Over Bolsonaro’s 40-year political career, the conservative ex- soldier showed minimal compassion for the country's inmates.

“What’s the need to offer these lowlifes a good life?” he previously wondered. “They deserve to be fucked, end of story. That's my view.”

At another time, Bolsonaro declared: “Unless you desire to wind up in prison, the only thing required is not sexual assault, kidnap or rob.”

Incarceration Facility Discussion

Yet the possibility of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda maximum security prison in Brasília has shocked supporters, several of whom this week toured the complex in an obvious effort to prevent the judiciary from transferring him there.

Izalci Lucas, a senator from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was among that group, said he anticipated the 70-year-old figure to be imprisoned in the coming fortnight and feared his location could be Papuda.

He asserted Bolsonaro’s acute digestive problems – the outcome of a life-threatening knife attack during the last presidential campaign – signified it would be dangerous to keep the ex-leader there. “His health is highly critical. He will not be able to cope if they send him to Papuda … It could be terrible,” he added, who also expressed concern about cramped cells and the standard of inmate food.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas recalled observing cells containing 40 prisoners: “It's practically one meter squared per detainee.

“We spoke to the convicts and they protest, of course, of the awful meals,” remarked the senator.

Allies React

He is not the sole person expressing views before the one-time head of state's anticipated imprisonment.

Writing in a major publication, a different supporter, the former communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “harsh” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” political career and claimed Brazil was about to see “the greatest political injustice in its history”.

“This is an unfairness that gnaws the souls of millions people in Brazil,” the former minister said.

Varied Popular Opinion

It is possibly true considering the significant following Bolsonaro retains on the Brazilian right. But his predicted imprisonment has also pleased the hearts of many individuals who believe he deserves to be imprisoned for conspiring to stop the incoming president from becoming president – and also scheming to have him assassinated.

The lawmaker, a congressman for the incumbent administration's Workers’ party, stated: “No one desires Bolsonaro to be sent in a dark cell. Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to be put in segregation. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to lie on concrete. We wish him to get proper care – but dignified care behind bars. He can’t continue being his personal jailer for his lifetime.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro allies, who have long applauding the harsh treatment of convicts, had suddenly realized to their rights. “Recently has the far-right – which has always argued that civil liberties are not for criminals – opted to inspect a penitentiary to learn what situations are truly like,” he said.

“Bolsonaro is a lawbreaker,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he deserved “humiliating, demeaning treatment”.

Possible Prison Facilities

In spite of speculation that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which presently holds about 14,000 prisoners, his probable location seems to be a nearby prison for law enforcement and other “unique” prisoners called Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

Its cells are much more comfortable than those in the primary facility, although nonetheless a distant from the comfort Bolsonaro experienced while occupying the impressive leader's home, about 12 miles away.

According to reports, the cell Bolsonaro could likely occupy in Papudinha measures about 260 square feet – approximately the dimensions of a couple of car spots – and contains a 130 square foot restroom with a water facility and a 130 square foot balcony. “He could be allowed to have a set and even a small fridge in his room as long as they were provided by his loved ones,” the report stated.

Ideological Comments

Senator Lucas criticized the rumoured proposal to send the ex-president to Papuda as “an act of retaliation” on the part of the presiding magistrate who led Bolsonaro’s legal case and will rule on his future in the {