Jailhouse Shock: The FormerPresident Jair Bolsonaro Faces Life Behind Bars

He contested the law and the law won.

Two months after getting a twenty-seven-year sentence for seeking to “eradicate” Brazil’s democracy, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro finally seems headed to prison.

Imminent Jailing

The convicted plotter – who has been under residential detention in his mansion while a series of court processes and challenges proceed – is broadly anticipated to be incarcerated in the next few days, amidst growing rumors that he will be moved to a well-known high-security facility.

Past Statements on Convicts

During Bolsonaro’s long political career, the far-right ex- military man displayed scant sympathy for Brazil’s jailed individuals.

“What’s the need to give those lowlifes a good life?” he once pondered. “They deserve to be screwed, end of story. That's my opinion.”

In another instance, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “Unless you desire to end up there, all you have to do is to avoid rape, abduction or rob.”

Incarceration Location Speculation

However the idea of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda prison top-security prison in Brasília has appalled supporters, four of whom this week visited the prison in an apparent effort to dissuade the judiciary from sending him there.

Izalci Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s political party who was among that group, claimed he expected the 70-year-old politician to be jailed in the following week and a half and feared his location could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s serious gut issues – the outcome of a almost deadly knife attack during the 2018 election race – signified it would be hazardous to keep the ex-leader there. “His condition is highly critical. He cannot to manage if they take him to Papuda … It will be dreadful,” he commented, who also worried about cramped cells and the condition of prison meals.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas remembered witnessing cells holding 40 inmates: “That’s almost one square meter per prisoner.

“We conversed to the convicts and they protest, of course, of the horrible food,” continued the senator.

Supporters Speak Out

Lucas is not the lone figure voicing opinions before the one-time head of state's anticipated incarceration.

Authoring in a leading newspaper, another ally, the ex- communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “severe” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” public service and alleged Brazil was about to see “the biggest political injustice in its history”.

“It represents an wrong that erodes the hearts of countless people in Brazil,” he stated.

Mixed Popular Response

It is possibly correct given the considerable backing Bolsonaro retains on the conservative side. But his expected jailing has also pleased the hearts of many others who think he should be incarcerated for plotting to block his successor from assuming office – and even conspiring to have him assassinated.

The lawmaker, a politician for the incumbent administration's allied group, stated: “Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to be placed in a dungeon. Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to be sent in isolation. No one wants Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to lie on concrete. We want him to obtain respectful care – but respectful handling behind bars. He must not persist being his personal jailer for his lifetime.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro backers, who have for a long time celebrating the harsh conditions of prisoners, had suddenly woken up to their entitlements. “Recently has the far-right – which has consistently claimed that civil liberties should not be for offenders – chosen to tour a penitentiary to find out what situations are actually like,” he said.

“The former president is a criminal,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he deserved “shameful, degrading treatment”.

Potential Prison Environment

Regardless of speculation that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which presently holds about thousands of prisoners, his probable location appears to be a close jail for police officers and other “particular” inmates known as Papudinha (Little Papuda).

The accommodations are considerably more pleasant than those in the primary facility, although still a world away from the opulence Bolsonaro had while living in the stunning presidential palace, about 20 kilometers away.

As per reports, the accommodation Bolsonaro could anticipate inhabit in Papudinha is about 24 square meters – roughly the dimensions of a couple of car spots – and contains a 130 square foot restroom with a water facility and a 130 square foot veranda. “Bolsonaro would be permitted to have a TV and additionally a minibar in his cell as long as they were supplied by his loved ones,” sources indicated.

Political Reactions

Senator Lucas denounced the rumoured plan to send the ex-president to Papuda as “an act of revenge” on the part of the supreme court judge who led Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will decide his future in the {

Richard Watson
Richard Watson

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