Jailhouse Shock: Brazil's Ex-President Jair Bolsonaro Confronts Time Behind Bars

He fought justice and justice won.

Two months following receiving a quarter-century plus sentence for attempting to “destroy” the nation's democracy, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro now appears headed to prison.

Anticipated Imprisonment

The adjudicated coup-monger – who had been under home confinement in his mansion while a set of court processes and petitions unfold – is largely predicted to be jailed in the next few days, amidst mounting talk that he will be transferred to a notorious top-security facility.

Past Remarks on Prisoners

During Bolsonaro’s long time in politics, the conservative ex- soldier displayed little mercy for the country's prison population.

“For what reason must we provide those lowlifes a comfortable existence?” he once pondered. “They deserve to be messed, period. That's my view.”

In another instance, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “Unless you desire to wind up there, the only thing required is not rape, kidnap or rob.”

Incarceration Facility Discussion

However the prospect of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda top-security prison in Brasília has horrified allies, four of whom this week inspected the prison in an apparent effort to prevent the high court from sending him there.

Izalci Lucas, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s political party who was part of that quartet, said he expected the septuagenarian figure to be imprisoned in the following week and a half and worried his location could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s severe digestive ailments – the result of a life-threatening stabbing during the 2018 presidential presidential campaign – implied it would be dangerous to keep the one-time head of state there. “His [health] situation is highly critical. He cannot to handle it if they take him to Papuda … It would be terrible,” he commented, who also expressed concern about packed cells and the condition of inmate food.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas recalled observing cells holding forty inmates: “It's practically one square metre per inmate.

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

Supporters Speak Out

He is not the only voice speaking out ahead of the ex-leader's anticipated imprisonment.

Penning in a major newspaper, a different supporter, the former government official Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “brutal” end to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” political career and alleged Brazil was about to see “the biggest political injustice in its record”.

“This is an unfairness that gnaws the spirits of millions of Brazilians,” Wajngarten wrote.

Mixed Public Reaction

This could be true considering the significant following Bolsonaro maintains on the Brazilian right. However his expected imprisonment has also pleased the feelings of many individuals who believe he deserves to be incarcerated for planning to stop the incoming president from assuming office – and additionally plotting to have him killed.

Reimont Otoni, a representative for the sitting leader's allied group, said: “No one desires Bolsonaro to be put in a hole. No one wants Bolsonaro to be put in segregation. No one desires Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We desire him to receive respectful treatment – but respectful care behind bars. He must not persist being his self-appointed guard for his entire life.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro backers, who have long celebrating the harsh conditions of prisoners, had suddenly woken up to their entitlements. “Just now has the conservative fringe – which has repeatedly argued that human rights were not for criminals – opted to inspect a jail to find out what conditions are truly like,” he stated.

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

Likely Jail Environment

Regardless of speculation that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which presently contains about thousands of inmates, his more likely location looks to be a nearby penitentiary for law enforcement and other “unique” prisoners referred to as Papudinha (Small Papuda).

The accommodations are far more comfortable than those in the main prison, although nonetheless a far cry from the opulence Bolsonaro experienced while residing in the stunning official residence, around 12 miles away.

Based on reports, the accommodation Bolsonaro could expect to occupy in Papudinha has about 24 square meters – approximately the size of two parking spaces – and features a 12 square meter WC with a water facility and a 12 sq metre veranda. “Bolsonaro would be authorized to have a TV and even a small fridge in his cell as long as they were supplied by his loved ones,” sources stated.

Ideological Comments

Senator Lucas criticized the speculated idea to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “a form of retaliation” on the part of the presiding magistrate who led Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will decide his outcome in the {

Anna Welch
Anna Welch

Mikael Voss is a passionate gaming journalist with over a decade of experience covering esports and indie game development.