Jailhouse Surprise: The Ex-President Bolsonaro Confronts Life in Prison

He contested the legal system and justice prevailed.

Sixty days subsequent to being handed a twenty-seven-year sentence for trying to “destroy” the nation's democracy, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro at last appears jail-bound.

Expected Incarceration

The convicted plotter – who's been subject to home confinement in his residence while a number of legal procedures and appeals proceed – is largely predicted to be imprisoned in the next few days, amidst increasing talk that he will be transferred to a notorious high-security prison.

Historical Statements on Prisoners

During Bolsonaro’s long political career, the far-right former military man showed minimal mercy for the country's jailed individuals.

“For what reason must we provide those lowlifes a easy time?” he once mused. “They should just get fucked, period. That’s what I reckon.”

At another time, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “Should you not wish to wind up behind bars, the only thing required is to avoid rape, kidnap or theft.”

Incarceration Facility Speculation

Yet the idea of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda prison high-security prison in Brasília has appalled allies, several of whom this week visited the facility in an obvious bid to dissuade the judiciary from transferring him there.

The senator, a politician from Bolsonaro’s political party who was among that group, claimed he expected the septuagenarian politician to be incarcerated in the next 10 days and feared his destination could be Papuda.

He asserted Bolsonaro’s severe gut problems – the result of a almost deadly knife attack during the 2018 presidential campaign – implied it would be dangerous to keep the one-time head of state there. “His condition is very grave. He won’t be able to cope if they move him to Papuda … It will be terrible,” he added, who also expressed concern about overcrowded cells and the standard of prison meals.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas recalled seeing cells accommodating 40 inmates: “That’s practically one square meter per inmate.

“We spoke to the convicts and they complain, of course, of the horrible meals,” continued the senator.

Allies Voice Concerns

Lucas is not the sole person speaking out before the former president’s expected detention.

Authoring in a leading publication, one more backer, the former communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “harsh” finale to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” time in office and claimed Brazil was about to witness “the largest political injustice in its past”.

“It is an unfairness that eats away the spirits of countless people in Brazil,” he stated.

Divided Public Opinion

It is possibly true considering the significant support Bolsonaro holds on the right-wing. However his anticipated jailing has also warmed the spirits of numerous others who think he should be incarcerated for plotting to block the elected leader from taking power – and also conspiring to have him assassinated.

Congressman Otoni, a politician for the current administration's allied group, commented: “Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to be sent in a dark cell. Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be put in solitary confinement. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to lie on concrete. We want him to get respectful care – but dignified handling while incarcerated. He cannot continue being his own prison warden for his lifetime.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro supporters, who have for a long time celebrating the severe handling of prisoners, had unexpectedly realized to their privileges. “Just now has the far-right – which has always claimed that civil liberties should not be for offenders – chosen to tour a penitentiary to find out what conditions are actually like,” he stated.

“Bolsonaro is a lawbreaker,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he earned “humiliating, degrading treatment”.

Likely Incarceration Conditions

Regardless of rumors that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which now holds about 14,000 inmates, his expected destination appears to be a nearby jail for police officers and other “particular” inmates known as Papudinha (Small Papuda).

Its cells are much more adequate than those in the larger jail, although still a far cry from the comfort Bolsonaro enjoyed while residing in the stunning official residence, about 20 kilometers away.

Based on information, the room Bolsonaro could expect to reside in in Papudinha has about 260 square feet – roughly the size of vehicle spaces – and features a 130 square foot restroom with a water facility and a 12 square meter veranda. “He could be allowed to have a TV and additionally a cooler in his quarters as long as they were supplied by his loved ones,” sources indicated.

Political Reactions

The lawmaker condemned the rumoured idea to send the ex-president to Papuda as “an act of payback” on the part of the judicial authority who presided over Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will rule on his outcome in the {

Benjamin Wright
Benjamin Wright

Lena is a tech journalist and gaming enthusiast with over a decade of experience reviewing hardware and software.