Prison Surprise: The Ex-President Jair Bolsonaro Confronts Life Behind Bars

He fought the legal system and the legal system prevailed.

Sixty days subsequent to getting a 27-year sentence for seeking to “destroy” the nation's political system, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro finally seems destined for incarceration.

Anticipated Imprisonment

The convicted instigator – who's been under residential detention in his residence while a series of judicial steps and challenges proceed – is broadly anticipated to be imprisoned in the coming days, during growing speculation that he will be sent to a notorious top-security prison.

Past Statements on Convicts

Throughout Bolsonaro’s long public life, the far-right former paratrooper showed little compassion for the country's inmates.

“Why should we offer those dirtbags a comfortable existence?” he once pondered. “They should just get messed, end of story. That's my view.”

At another time, Bolsonaro stated: “Should you not wish to finish in prison, all you have to do is to avoid sexual assault, kidnap or rob.”

Prison Destination Debate

But the prospect of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda high-security prison in Brasília has horrified supporters, four of whom this week inspected the complex in an obvious bid to discourage the supreme court from sending him there.

Senator Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was among that group, stated he expected the septuagenarian politician to be incarcerated in the next 10 days and was concerned his location could be Papuda.

He asserted Bolsonaro’s serious intestinal ailments – the consequence of a almost deadly knife attack during the 2018 presidential election race – meant it would be hazardous to keep the former president there. “His [health] situation is extremely serious. He cannot to handle it if they send him to Papuda … It will be awful,” he commented, who also voiced anxiety about overcrowded cells and the condition of jail cuisine.

During his tour Papuda, Lucas noted witnessing cells accommodating four dozen detainees: “That’s virtually one meter squared per prisoner.

“We spoke to the prisoners and they complain, unsurprisingly, of the terrible meals,” remarked the senator.

Backers Speak Out

He is not the lone figure speaking out prior to the ex-leader's anticipated imprisonment.

Penning in a leading daily, a different supporter, the ex- government official Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “brutal” finale to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” public service and asserted Brazil was about to experience “the biggest unfairness in its past”.

“This is an unfairness that eats away the souls of millions people in Brazil,” the former minister said.

Mixed Popular Reaction

That may be correct considering the significant support Bolsonaro retains on the Brazilian right. However his expected imprisonment has also gladdened the feelings of numerous others who think he ought to be incarcerated for conspiring to stop the incoming president from taking power – and even scheming to have him killed.

Congressman Otoni, a congressman for the current leader's Workers’ party, said: “Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be sent in a dungeon. No one wishes Bolsonaro to be put in segregation. No one desires Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to lie on concrete. We want him to obtain proper care – but respectful handling behind bars. He can’t persist being his self-appointed guard for his whole life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro backers, who have spent years applauding the tough treatment of prisoners, had unexpectedly woken up to their entitlements. “Recently has the conservative fringe – which has consistently claimed that basic rights are not for offenders – chosen to visit a jail to find out what situations are actually like,” he remarked.

“He is a lawbreaker,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he deserved “humiliating, degrading conduct”.

Likely Prison Conditions

Regardless of rumors that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which presently houses about fourteen thousand detainees, his probable assigned facility looks to be a close penitentiary for police officers and other “special” prisoners called Papudinha (Little Papuda).

His potential cell are considerably more adequate than those in the main prison, although nonetheless a far cry from the comfort Bolsonaro had while occupying the impressive leader's home, approximately 20 kilometers away.

Based on sources, the cell Bolsonaro could expect to reside in in Papudinha is about 24 sq metres – roughly the size of two parking spaces – and includes a 12 square meter WC with a bathing area and a 12 sq metre veranda. “The ex-president might be allowed to have a TV and also a minibar in his cell as long as they were provided by his family,” sources stated.

Ideological Comments

Senator Lucas condemned the speculated proposal to send the ex-president to Papuda as “an act of revenge” on the part of the presiding magistrate who presided over Bolsonaro’s legal case and will determine his fate in the {

Jeremy Jones
Jeremy Jones

A passionate slot game enthusiast with over a decade of experience in reviewing online casinos and analyzing gaming trends.