Jailhouse Shock: Brazil's FormerPresident Jair Bolsonaro Faces Life in Prison

He fought the legal system and the legal system triumphed.

Two months subsequent to getting a twenty-seven-year sentence for seeking to “destroy” the nation's democratic institutions, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro finally seems headed to prison.

Imminent Jailing

The convicted instigator – who has been under residential detention in his estate while a series of court processes and petitions proceed – is largely predicted to be jailed in the coming days, amid growing speculation that he will be moved to a infamous top-security penitentiary.

Previous Statements on Prisoners

Throughout Bolsonaro’s four-decade time in politics, the conservative former military man exhibited scant mercy for Brazil’s inmates.

“For what reason must we offer these dirtbags a good life?” he once pondered. “They deserve to be messed, period. That's my opinion.”

At another time, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “If you don’t want to wind up behind bars, the only thing required is not rape, kidnap or theft.”

Jail Location Speculation

But the prospect of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda prison top-security prison in Brasília has horrified supporters, several of whom this week visited the complex in an seeming attempt to prevent the high court from sending him there.

The senator, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was part of that quartet, said he anticipated the elderly politician to be incarcerated in the coming fortnight and was concerned his destination could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s acute digestive ailments – the result of a almost deadly stabbing during the last political campaign – signified it would be risky to keep the one-time head of state there. “His health is very grave. He cannot to manage if they take him to Papuda … It will be dreadful,” he commented, who also worried about cramped cells and the quality of jail cuisine.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas remembered observing cells holding 40 prisoners: “It's almost one square metre per detainee.

“We conversed to the prisoners and they complain, of course, of the horrible food,” added the senator.

Allies Speak Out

The senator isn't the lone figure expressing views prior to the one-time head of state's anticipated incarceration.

Authoring in a leading newspaper, one more backer, the former communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “severe” finale to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” time in office and asserted Brazil was about to see “the biggest unfairness in its past”.

“It represents an injustice that erodes the hearts of millions people in Brazil,” Wajngarten wrote.

Varied General Response

This could be accurate considering the considerable following Bolsonaro maintains on the conservative side. But his predicted imprisonment has also warmed the spirits of numerous others who think he deserves to be imprisoned for planning to prevent the incoming president from assuming office – and additionally conspiring to have him assassinated.

The lawmaker, a politician for the current president's political party, commented: “Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be put in a hole. No one desires Bolsonaro to be sent in isolation. Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to lie on concrete. We want him to obtain proper care – but proper care behind bars. He can’t continue being his self-appointed guard for his entire life.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro supporters, who have for a long time celebrating the tough handling of prisoners, had suddenly realized to their rights. “Recently has the far-right – which has consistently argued that human rights were not for criminals – opted to tour a jail to find out what situations are truly like,” he stated.

“He is a criminal,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he merited “shameful, degrading treatment”.

Likely Jail Environment

Regardless of speculation that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which now contains about 14,000 inmates, his expected location appears to be a nearby jail for police officers and other “unique” inmates called Papudinha (Little Papuda).

The accommodations are considerably more adequate than those in the primary facility, although still a far cry from the opulence Bolsonaro enjoyed while living in the impressive presidential palace, about 20 kilometers away.

As per reports, the accommodation Bolsonaro could likely occupy in Papudinha has about 260 square feet – roughly the dimensions of vehicle spaces – and features a 12 sq metre WC with a bathing area and a 12 sq metre veranda. “Bolsonaro would be permitted to have a set and additionally a minibar in his room as long as they were donated by his relatives,” information stated.

Ideological Reactions

Senator Lucas criticized the rumoured plan to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “an act of retaliation” on the part of the judicial authority who oversaw Bolsonaro’s legal case and will determine his outcome in the {

Claudia Spencer
Claudia Spencer

A tech journalist and software analyst with over a decade of experience covering digital trends and innovations.