Prison Surprise: The Ex-President Bolsonaro Faces Life Behind Bars

He battled justice and justice triumphed.

Two months following being handed a 27-year sentence for attempting to “eradicate” Brazil’s political system, former president Jair Bolsonaro now appears headed to prison.

Anticipated Jailing

The found-guilty instigator – who has been under residential detention in his mansion while a series of legal procedures and appeals play out – is largely predicted to be jailed in the coming days, amidst growing speculation that he will be transferred to a notorious maximum security prison.

Historical Statements on Convicts

Throughout Bolsonaro’s four-decade time in politics, the conservative former military man showed little compassion for Brazil’s inmates.

“What’s the need to offer these scoundrels a easy time?” he previously wondered. “They should just get fucked, end of story. That's my opinion.”

In another instance, Bolsonaro declared: “If you don’t want to wind up behind bars, you simply need is not rape, kidnap or theft.”

Jail Facility Debate

But the prospect of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda maximum security prison in Brasília has shocked supporters, several of whom this week visited the prison in an obvious bid to prevent the judiciary from transferring him there.

Senator Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was one of the visitors, claimed he expected the septuagenarian figure to be imprisoned in the coming fortnight and worried his location could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s serious gut ailments – the consequence of a almost deadly assault during the 2018 presidential campaign – implied it would be dangerous to keep the one-time head of state there. “His health is very grave. He cannot to manage if they send him to Papuda … It would be awful,” he commented, who also worried about packed cells and the quality of jail cuisine.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas noted observing cells accommodating forty prisoners: “It's practically one square metre per prisoner.

“We talked to the prisoners and they protest, naturally, of the awful food,” remarked the senator.

Allies Voice Concerns

Lucas is not the lone figure expressing views before the former president’s predicted incarceration.

Writing in a prominent daily, a different supporter, the former communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “brutal” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” public service and asserted Brazil was about to experience “the largest political injustice in its history”.

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

Varied Popular Opinion

It is possibly correct considering the considerable support Bolsonaro holds on the right-wing. But his anticipated incarceration has also warmed the hearts of millions others who believe he should be incarcerated for planning to stop his successor from becoming president – and additionally conspiring to have him assassinated.

Reimont Otoni, a congressman for the incumbent leader's Workers’ party, stated: “Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be sent in a hole. Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be put in segregation. Nobody wants Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to lie on concrete. We want him to receive respectful care – but proper handling in prison. He cannot persist being his own prison warden for his entire life.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro backers, who have long applauding the severe handling of inmates, had suddenly become aware to their privileges. “Only now has the extreme right – which has repeatedly argued that human rights were not for lawbreakers – decided to tour a prison to discover what situations are truly like,” he remarked.

“The former president is a offender,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he deserved “degrading, degrading treatment”.

Potential Prison Environment

Despite talk that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which presently houses about 14,000 prisoners, his probable destination seems to be a adjacent prison for police officers and other “particular” prisoners known as Papudinha (Little Papuda).

Its cells are far more comfortable than those in the primary facility, although still a distant from the luxury Bolsonaro enjoyed while occupying the spectacular presidential palace, approximately a short distance away.

As per information, the cell Bolsonaro could likely reside in in Papudinha is about 24 square meters – roughly the dimensions of two parking spaces – and includes a 12 square meter bathroom with a bathing area and a 12 square meter terrace. “He could be permitted to have a television and even a minibar in his room as long as they were supplied by his loved ones,” information indicated.

Ideological Responses

The lawmaker denounced the rumoured proposal to send the ex-president to Papuda as “a type of retaliation” on the part of the presiding magistrate who led Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will determine his outcome in the {

Sara Clark
Sara Clark

Lena is a seasoned agile coach and software developer with over a decade of experience in transforming teams and delivering high-quality digital solutions.