Jailhouse Shock: The FormerPresident Jair Bolsonaro Faces Time Behind Bars

He battled the legal system and justice won.

Sixty days after being handed a twenty-seven-year sentence for seeking to “eradicate” Brazil’s political system, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro finally appears headed to prison.

Anticipated Incarceration

The adjudicated plotter – who has been living under home confinement in his residence while a set of court processes and petitions play out – is largely predicted to be jailed in the coming days, amid growing rumors that he will be moved to a well-known high-security facility.

Historical Statements on Inmates

Throughout Bolsonaro’s 40-year political career, the far-right ex- military man displayed minimal compassion for the country's prison population.

“What’s the need to give those dirtbags a easy time?” he previously wondered. “They should just get messed, full-fucking-stop. That's my opinion.”

At another time, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “Unless you desire to end up in prison, the only thing required is not sexual assault, kidnap or rob.”

Prison Facility Speculation

However the idea of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda prison top-security prison in Brasília has shocked backers, four of whom this week toured the facility in an obvious effort to prevent the supreme court from banishing him there.

The senator, a politician from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was one of the visitors, said he expected the septuagenarian figure to be imprisoned in the following week and a half and feared his assigned prison could be Papuda.

He asserted Bolsonaro’s severe gut issues – the outcome of a near-fatal assault during the last political campaign – meant it would be dangerous to keep the ex-leader there. “His [health] situation is highly critical. He won’t be able to manage if they move him to Papuda … It could be dreadful,” he added, who also worried about cramped cells and the quality of jail cuisine.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas remembered observing cells holding 40 inmates: “That’s almost one square metre per inmate.

“We spoke to the convicts and they protest, naturally, of the horrible cuisine,” added the senator.

Allies Voice Concerns

Lucas is not the sole person voicing opinions prior to the one-time head of state's expected detention.

Penning in a leading publication, another ally, the former cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “harsh” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” political career and asserted Brazil was about to experience “the biggest wrong in its history”.

“It is an injustice that gnaws the hearts of countless Brazilian citizens,” Wajngarten wrote.

Varied Popular Reaction

That may be accurate considering the significant backing Bolsonaro retains on the conservative side. But his predicted imprisonment has also pleased the spirits of many others who think he deserves to be imprisoned for planning to block the incoming president from taking power – and even plotting to have him assassinated.

Congressman Otoni, a politician for the incumbent administration's political party, said: “No one desires Bolsonaro to be sent in a dark cell. No one desires Bolsonaro to be placed in solitary confinement. Nobody desires Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We wish him to get proper treatment – but respectful treatment while incarcerated. He cannot persist being his self-appointed guard for his lifetime.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro supporters, who have for a long time applauding the severe treatment of prisoners, had suddenly woken up to their privileges. “Just now has the far-right – which has always claimed that basic rights are not for offenders – decided to inspect a jail to learn what situations are really like,” he remarked.

“He is a criminal,” Otoni insisted, but that did not mean he deserved “humiliating, degrading handling”.

Likely Incarceration Conditions

Despite rumors that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which currently contains about 14,000 prisoners, his expected destination seems to be a close jail for police officers and other “special” prisoners called Papudinha (Little Papuda).

His potential cell are far more comfortable than those in the primary facility, although nevertheless a far cry from the comfort Bolsonaro experienced while residing in the spectacular official residence, around 20 kilometers away.

According to sources, the accommodation Bolsonaro could anticipate reside in in Papudinha is about 260 square feet – approximately the area of vehicle spaces – and includes a 12 sq metre bathroom with a bathing area and a 12 sq metre balcony. “Bolsonaro would be permitted to have a TV and also a cooler in his quarters as long as they were supplied by his relatives,” information stated.

Partisan Reactions

The lawmaker denounced the speculated plan to send the former leader to Papuda as “a form of revenge” on the part of the judicial authority who led Bolsonaro’s legal case and will determine his future in the {

Luis Jones
Luis Jones

A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in online casino strategy and game development.