Prison Surprise: The FormerPresident Jair Bolsonaro Faces Time Behind Bars

He contested the law and the law prevailed.

Two months following getting a quarter-century plus sentence for trying to “eradicate” the nation's political system, former president Jair Bolsonaro finally seems destined for incarceration.

Imminent Imprisonment

The adjudicated instigator – who's been under home confinement in his estate while a number of legal procedures and challenges unfold – is widely expected to be imprisoned in the coming days, amid growing speculation that he will be transferred to a infamous high-security facility.

Previous Comments on Convicts

During Bolsonaro’s 40-year political career, the far-right former paratrooper displayed little compassion for Brazil’s jailed individuals.

“For what reason must we offer these dirtbags a good life?” he previously wondered. “They should just get messed, end of story. That's my view.”

At another time, Bolsonaro stated: “Should you not wish to finish there, all you have to do is to avoid sexual assault, kidnap or theft.”

Prison Destination Discussion

Yet the possibility of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda maximum security prison in Brasília has appalled allies, a group of four this week toured the prison in an obvious attempt to discourage the supreme court from sending him there.

Izalci Lucas, a senator from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was one of the visitors, stated he anticipated the elderly politician to be jailed in the coming fortnight and feared his assigned prison could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s serious digestive issues – the consequence of a almost deadly knife attack during the 2018 presidential campaign – implied it would be risky to keep the ex-leader there. “His health is extremely serious. He will not be able to manage if they move him to Papuda … It would be awful,” he added, who also voiced anxiety about cramped cells and the standard of prison meals.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas noted witnessing cells accommodating forty prisoners: “That’s almost one square metre per inmate.

“We talked to the prisoners and they complain, of course, of the awful cuisine,” added the senator.

Backers React

The senator isn't the sole person speaking out prior to the one-time head of state's expected incarceration.

Penning in a leading publication, a different supporter, the former cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “harsh” finale to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” time in office and alleged Brazil was about to see “the largest unfairness in its record”.

“It represents an injustice that eats away the souls of many Brazilian citizens,” he stated.

Mixed Public Reaction

This could be correct due to the considerable following Bolsonaro retains on the Brazilian right. But his expected incarceration has also gladdened the hearts of numerous others who feel he ought to be incarcerated for conspiring to stop the elected leader from assuming office – and additionally plotting to have him assassinated.

The lawmaker, a congressman for the incumbent administration's allied group, commented: “Nobody desires Bolsonaro to be sent in a dark cell. No one wishes Bolsonaro to be put in isolation. No one wishes Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We wish him to receive respectful treatment – but dignified handling behind bars. He can’t continue being his self-appointed guard for his entire life.”

He observed how Bolsonaro backers, who have for a long time applauding the severe handling of convicts, had unexpectedly woken up to their entitlements. “Just now has the far-right – which has repeatedly asserted that civil liberties were not for lawbreakers – chosen to inspect a prison to learn what situations are actually like,” he remarked.

“He is a lawbreaker,” Otoni insisted, but that did not mean he merited “humiliating, insulting conduct”.

Possible Prison Environment

Despite speculation that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which now contains about fourteen thousand prisoners, his probable location seems to be a adjacent jail for law enforcement and other “particular” inmates known as Papudinha (Little Papuda).

The accommodations are considerably more pleasant than those in the larger jail, although nevertheless a distant from the comfort Bolsonaro experienced while residing in the impressive official residence, around 20 kilometers away.

According to information, the room Bolsonaro could likely inhabit in Papudinha is about 260 square feet – about the area of a couple of car spots – and includes a 130 square foot restroom with a shower and a 130 square foot terrace. “Bolsonaro would be permitted to have a set and even a small fridge in his cell as long as they were donated by his family,” information stated.

Political Reactions

The lawmaker condemned the rumoured proposal to send the former leader to Papuda as “an act of revenge” on the part of the supreme court judge who oversaw Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will rule on his outcome in the {

Erin Mcgrath
Erin Mcgrath

A tech strategist with over a decade of experience in digital innovation and startup consulting across Europe.