Jailhouse Shock: Brazil's FormerPresident Jair Bolsonaro Faces Time in Prison

He contested the legal system and justice won.

Two months subsequent to being handed a twenty-seven-year sentence for attempting to “annihilate” Brazil’s democracy, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro now seems destined for incarceration.

Expected Imprisonment

The found-guilty plotter – who's been subject to house arrest in his residence while a number of judicial steps and challenges unfold – is broadly anticipated to be incarcerated in the coming days, amidst mounting talk that he will be moved to a well-known top-security prison.

Historical Comments on Prisoners

During Bolsonaro’s long public life, the right-wing former soldier exhibited minimal compassion for Brazil’s prison population.

“Why should we provide these dirtbags a good life?” he once pondered. “They should just get screwed, period. That's my opinion.”

At another time, Bolsonaro declared: “Unless you desire to end up in prison, all you have to do is not rape, abduction or rob.”

Prison Destination Discussion

But the prospect of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda prison high-security prison in Brasília has shocked allies, several of whom this week inspected the prison in an obvious bid to dissuade the high court from transferring him there.

Senator Lucas, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s political party who was one of the visitors, said he expected the elderly figure to be incarcerated in the following week and a half and worried his assigned prison could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s severe intestinal issues – the consequence of a almost deadly knife attack during the 2018 presidential campaign – signified it would be risky to keep the one-time head of state there. “His [health] situation is highly critical. He cannot to cope if they take him to Papuda … It will be dreadful,” he added, who also expressed concern about packed cells and the quality of jail cuisine.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas noted seeing cells accommodating forty prisoners: “It's almost one meter squared per inmate.

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

Allies Speak Out

Lucas is not the only voice expressing views ahead of the ex-leader's predicted detention.

Penning in a major newspaper, another ally, the ex- communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “severe” end to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” public service and asserted Brazil was about to see “the biggest unfairness in its past”.

“It is an unfairness that gnaws the spirits of millions people in Brazil,” the former minister said.

Mixed General Response

That may be correct considering the considerable backing Bolsonaro maintains on the conservative side. But his expected imprisonment has also pleased the hearts of numerous individuals who feel he deserves to be incarcerated for conspiring to prevent the elected leader from assuming office – and additionally plotting to have him killed.

The lawmaker, a congressman for the current president's Workers’ party, said: “Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to be put in a dark cell. Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be sent in segregation. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We want him to receive proper care – but dignified handling while incarcerated. He must not persist being his own prison warden for his whole life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro supporters, who have long applauding the harsh conditions of inmates, had abruptly woken up to their rights. “Recently has the far-right – which has always claimed that basic rights were not for lawbreakers – chosen to visit a penitentiary to learn what circumstances are really like,” he said.

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

Possible Jail Facilities

Despite speculation that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which presently houses about 14,000 detainees, his expected location looks to be a adjacent prison for police officers and other “unique” detainees referred to as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

Its cells are much more adequate than those in the primary facility, although still a distant from the luxury Bolsonaro had while living in the stunning official residence, around 12 miles away.

Based on reports, the accommodation Bolsonaro could expect to occupy in Papudinha has about 260 square feet – approximately the area of vehicle spaces – and includes a 12 sq metre WC with a water facility and a 12 sq metre balcony. “He could be permitted to have a TV and also a cooler in his room as long as they were provided by his relatives,” information indicated.

Ideological Comments

Senator Lucas criticized the talked-about idea to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “an act of payback” on the part of the presiding magistrate who led Bolsonaro’s legal case and will decide his fate in the {

Catherine Foster
Catherine Foster

A seasoned casino analyst with over a decade of experience in online gaming, specializing in slot machine strategies and game reviews.