Jailhouse Shock: The FormerPresident Bolsonaro Faces Time Behind Bars

He fought justice and the legal system prevailed.

Two months after being handed a twenty-seven-year sentence for attempting to “eradicate” the nation's democracy, former president Jair Bolsonaro at last appears jail-bound.

Anticipated Jailing

The found-guilty instigator – who has been living under house arrest in his estate while a set of legal procedures and challenges play out – is broadly anticipated to be jailed in the coming days, during growing rumors that he will be moved to a infamous top-security facility.

Past Statements on Prisoners

During Bolsonaro’s long time in politics, the conservative ex- paratrooper exhibited scant sympathy for the country's jailed individuals.

“For what reason must we give these dirtbags a good life?” he once mused. “They deserve to be messed, end of story. That's my opinion.”

In another instance, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “Should you not wish to wind up behind bars, the only thing required is to avoid sexual assault, kidnap or rob.”

Prison Location Speculation

However the possibility of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda top-security prison in Brasília has shocked supporters, four of whom this week visited the facility in an apparent bid to discourage the judiciary from sending him there.

Izalci Lucas, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was part of that quartet, stated he predicted the septuagenarian politician to be incarcerated in the following week and a half and feared his location could be Papuda.

He asserted Bolsonaro’s acute intestinal issues – the outcome of a almost deadly knife attack during the 2018 election race – meant it would be dangerous to keep the ex-leader there. “His health is highly critical. He will not be able to handle it if they send him to Papuda … It will be terrible,” said the senator, who also voiced anxiety about packed cells and the condition of inmate food.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas recalled observing cells holding forty detainees: “That is practically one square meter per prisoner.

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

Backers Speak Out

The senator isn't the only voice speaking out ahead of the ex-leader's anticipated incarceration.

Writing in a leading daily, another ally, the former government official Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “severe” finale to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” political career and asserted Brazil was about to see “the largest unfairness in its history”.

“It is an wrong that eats away the hearts of countless people in Brazil,” Wajngarten wrote.

Divided Popular Response

This could be correct considering the substantial following Bolsonaro maintains on the Brazilian right. Yet his predicted imprisonment has also pleased the feelings of many other people who believe he ought to be imprisoned for planning to stop the incoming president from taking power – and also plotting to have him killed.

The lawmaker, a congressman for the sitting leader's political party, commented: “Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be placed in a dungeon. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to be sent in isolation. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We want him to obtain dignified handling – but dignified handling in prison. He cannot continue being his own prison warden for his entire life.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro allies, who have long celebrating the severe conditions of inmates, had suddenly become aware to their rights. “Only now has the conservative fringe – which has repeatedly argued that civil liberties should not be for lawbreakers – chosen to inspect a penitentiary to learn what circumstances are really like,” he stated.

“He is a criminal,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he earned “shameful, demeaning conduct”.

Potential Prison Facilities

Despite talk that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which currently contains about fourteen thousand inmates, his more likely destination seems to be a adjacent prison for police officers and other “special” detainees known as Papudinha (Small Papuda).

His potential cell are considerably more pleasant than those in the primary facility, although nonetheless a far cry from the opulence Bolsonaro had while residing in the impressive leader's home, approximately a short distance away.

Based on sources, the cell Bolsonaro could likely inhabit in Papudinha is about 24 sq metres – approximately the area of vehicle spaces – and contains a 130 square foot WC with a bathing area and a 130 square foot balcony. “The ex-president might be allowed to have a set and even a minibar in his room as long as they were provided by his family,” sources indicated.

Ideological Comments

The lawmaker condemned the rumoured idea to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “a form of revenge” on the part of the presiding magistrate who led Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will decide his fate in the {

Victor Bailey
Victor Bailey

A seasoned travel writer and Las Vegas expert with over 10 years of experience exploring the city's hidden gems and luxury hotspots.