Jailhouse Surprise: Brazil's FormerPresident Bolsonaro Faces Life in Prison

He battled the legal system and the law prevailed.

Two months after being handed a quarter-century plus sentence for trying to “eradicate” the nation's democracy, former president Jair Bolsonaro now looks jail-bound.

Imminent Incarceration

The found-guilty instigator – who has been under residential detention in his residence while a series of legal procedures and appeals proceed – is largely predicted to be imprisoned in the next few days, during growing speculation that he will be sent to a well-known maximum security prison.

Past Remarks on Convicts

Over Bolsonaro’s four-decade time in politics, the conservative ex- paratrooper exhibited little compassion for the country's jailed individuals.

“For what reason must we provide those dirtbags a comfortable existence?” he once pondered. “They deserve to be screwed, full-fucking-stop. That's my view.”

In another instance, Bolsonaro stated: “If you don’t want to wind up behind bars, the only thing required is to avoid sexual assault, kidnap or rob.”

Prison Facility Debate

However the prospect of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda prison high-security prison in Brasília has horrified supporters, four of whom this week toured the prison in an seeming attempt to prevent the high court from banishing him there.

Senator Lucas, a senator from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was part of that quartet, claimed he predicted the 70-year-old figure to be imprisoned in the coming fortnight and feared his destination could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s acute gut ailments – the result of a almost deadly assault during the last presidential campaign – signified it would be dangerous to keep the former president there. “His [health] situation is highly critical. He won’t be able to handle it if they move him to Papuda … It could be awful,” he added, who also voiced anxiety about overcrowded cells and the quality of jail cuisine.

During his tour Papuda, Lucas remembered observing cells accommodating forty inmates: “That is almost one square metre per detainee.

“We conversed to the inmates and they protest, naturally, of the awful food,” added the senator.

Supporters React

The senator isn't the lone figure voicing opinions ahead of the one-time head of state's anticipated incarceration.

Writing in a prominent newspaper, a different supporter, the former communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “severe” end to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” time in office and claimed Brazil was about to witness “the largest political injustice in its record”.

“It represents an unfairness that erodes the spirits of countless people in Brazil,” Wajngarten wrote.

Mixed Public Reaction

It is possibly true given the significant following Bolsonaro retains on the Brazilian right. But his anticipated incarceration has also warmed the feelings of many individuals who feel he ought to be imprisoned for conspiring to block his successor from becoming president – and also conspiring to have him killed.

Congressman Otoni, a congressman for the sitting president's political party, said: “No one desires Bolsonaro to be put in a dungeon. Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be placed in isolation. Nobody wants Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to lie on concrete. We wish him to receive respectful handling – but proper care in prison. He must not continue being his self-appointed guard for his whole life.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro allies, who have for a long time applauding the harsh treatment of convicts, had unexpectedly realized to their entitlements. “Recently has the conservative fringe – which has consistently argued that civil liberties were not for criminals – decided to inspect a jail to learn what situations are really like,” he stated.

“Bolsonaro is a criminal,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he earned “shameful, demeaning conduct”.

Likely Jail Conditions

In spite of rumors that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which now holds about 14,000 prisoners, his more likely location appears to be a close prison for police officers and other “particular” inmates referred to as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

Its cells are far more comfortable than those in the primary facility, although nonetheless a world away from the luxury Bolsonaro had while living in the stunning official residence, about 12 miles away.

Based on information, the room Bolsonaro could likely reside in in Papudinha measures about 260 square feet – about the dimensions of vehicle spaces – and features a 130 square foot bathroom with a water facility and a 130 square foot balcony. “He could be allowed to have a set and even a minibar in his room as long as they were supplied by his relatives,” the report suggested.

Partisan Comments

Senator Lucas denounced the speculated proposal to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “a form of payback” on the part of the judicial authority who presided over Bolsonaro’s legal case and will determine his future in the {