Jailhouse Surprise: The Ex-President Jair Bolsonaro Confronts Time Behind Bars

He contested the legal system and justice won.

A couple of months subsequent to getting a twenty-seven-year sentence for attempting to “destroy” the nation's political system, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro finally appears destined for incarceration.

Imminent Jailing

The adjudicated coup-monger – who has been living under home confinement in his estate while a number of court processes and appeals play out – is widely expected to be jailed in the coming days, amid increasing speculation that he will be sent to a infamous high-security penitentiary.

Historical Statements on Convicts

During Bolsonaro’s 40-year time in politics, the right-wing ex- paratrooper exhibited minimal mercy for the country's prison population.

“What’s the need to provide these lowlifes a comfortable existence?” he once mused. “They deserve to be screwed, full-fucking-stop. That's my opinion.”

In another instance, Bolsonaro declared: “If you don’t want to finish in prison, you simply need is to avoid rape, abduction or theft.”

Prison Location Debate

But the idea of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda maximum security prison in Brasília has appalled allies, several of whom this week visited the facility in an apparent attempt to discourage the judiciary from transferring him there.

Izalci Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was among that group, said he expected the 70-year-old politician to be incarcerated in the next 10 days and worried his assigned prison could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s severe intestinal problems – the outcome of a near-fatal stabbing during the last political campaign – signified it would be dangerous to keep the one-time head of state there. “His condition is highly critical. He will not be able to handle it if they take him to Papuda … It could be terrible,” he added, who also expressed concern about cramped cells and the standard of jail cuisine.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas remembered witnessing cells accommodating forty inmates: “That is almost one square metre per detainee.

“We talked to the inmates and they protest, unsurprisingly, of the terrible food,” added the senator.

Backers Speak Out

The senator isn't the sole person speaking out prior to the former president’s expected incarceration.

Writing in a prominent publication, a different supporter, the ex- cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “harsh” end to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” political career and alleged Brazil was about to experience “the largest unfairness in its record”.

“This is an injustice that eats away the hearts of countless people in Brazil,” the former minister said.

Varied Public Response

That may be accurate considering the considerable support Bolsonaro holds on the conservative side. But his predicted jailing has also warmed the spirits of many other people who think he ought to be jailed for plotting to prevent the elected leader from assuming office – and also conspiring to have him killed.

Congressman Otoni, a politician for the sitting leader's allied group, said: “Nobody wants Bolsonaro to be sent in a dungeon. No one desires Bolsonaro to be sent in isolation. Nobody wants Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to lie on concrete. We desire him to get respectful treatment – but dignified handling in prison. He cannot persist being his personal jailer for his lifetime.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro backers, who have long praising the harsh treatment of prisoners, had unexpectedly realized to their privileges. “Just now has the conservative fringe – which has always asserted that civil liberties were not for lawbreakers – decided to tour a prison to discover what conditions are really like,” he remarked.

“Bolsonaro is a offender,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he deserved “shameful, insulting handling”.

Possible Prison Environment

Regardless of speculation that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which presently holds about fourteen thousand prisoners, his probable assigned facility looks to be a adjacent penitentiary for law enforcement and other “special” inmates known as Papudinha (Small Papuda).

The accommodations are considerably more comfortable than those in the main prison, although nevertheless a far cry from the opulence Bolsonaro experienced while residing in the impressive leader's home, around 20 kilometers away.

Based on sources, the cell Bolsonaro could expect to inhabit in Papudinha has about 24 square meters – roughly the dimensions of a couple of car spots – and contains a 130 square foot bathroom with a water facility and a 12 square meter veranda. “He could be allowed to have a TV and also a small fridge in his quarters as long as they were donated by his family,” the report indicated.

Partisan Responses

He condemned the speculated proposal to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “a type of payback” on the part of the supreme court judge who presided over Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will determine his fate in the {

Brian Burns
Brian Burns

A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in online casino strategies and player psychology.