Prison Surprise: The FormerPresident Jair Bolsonaro Confronts Time in Prison

He fought the law and the law won.

A couple of months following getting a quarter-century plus sentence for trying to “destroy” Brazil’s democratic institutions, former president Jair Bolsonaro finally appears jail-bound.

Anticipated Incarceration

The convicted instigator – who's been living under home confinement in his residence while a set of judicial steps and petitions unfold – is broadly anticipated to be imprisoned in the next few days, during growing speculation that he will be sent to a infamous maximum security penitentiary.

Previous Comments on Prisoners

Over Bolsonaro’s four-decade time in politics, the right-wing ex- paratrooper exhibited little mercy for Brazil’s prison population.

“What’s the need to give these scoundrels a comfortable existence?” he previously wondered. “They ought to simply be screwed, full-fucking-stop. That’s what I reckon.”

At another time, Bolsonaro declared: “If you don’t want to wind up behind bars, all you have to do is to avoid sexual assault, abduction or rob.”

Jail Destination Discussion

But the possibility of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda prison top-security prison in Brasília has shocked backers, several of whom this week inspected the complex in an apparent bid to dissuade the supreme court from banishing him there.

The senator, a politician from Bolsonaro’s political party who was one of the visitors, said he expected the elderly figure to be imprisoned in the following week and a half and worried his location could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s severe gut ailments – the outcome of a near-fatal knife attack during the 2018 presidential campaign – implied it would be dangerous to keep the former president there. “His condition is highly critical. He won’t be able to handle it if they move him to Papuda … It could be dreadful,” he added, who also worried about cramped cells and the quality of prison meals.

During his tour Papuda, Lucas recalled witnessing cells accommodating forty detainees: “It's practically one square meter per inmate.

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

Backers React

The senator isn't the lone figure speaking out prior to the ex-leader's expected incarceration.

Penning in a major daily, one more backer, the ex- cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “brutal” end to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” political career and alleged Brazil was about to witness “the biggest unfairness in its history”.

“This is an wrong that erodes the souls of millions Brazilian citizens,” Wajngarten wrote.

Varied General Response

This could be accurate due to the substantial following Bolsonaro holds on the right-wing. Yet his predicted jailing has also pleased the spirits of many individuals who believe he should be jailed for plotting to stop the incoming president from becoming president – and also scheming to have him assassinated.

The lawmaker, a politician for the sitting leader's political party, commented: “No one wishes Bolsonaro to be put in a dungeon. Nobody desires Bolsonaro to be placed in segregation. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to lie on concrete. We wish him to receive respectful treatment – but dignified handling while incarcerated. He must not carry on being his personal jailer for his whole life.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro allies, who have long celebrating the tough conditions of convicts, had unexpectedly realized to their privileges. “Only now has the extreme right – which has consistently argued that human rights should not be for criminals – chosen to tour a penitentiary to learn what circumstances are really like,” he said.

“He is a lawbreaker,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he deserved “shameful, demeaning treatment”.

Potential Jail Conditions

Regardless of speculation that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which now holds about 14,000 detainees, his expected assigned facility appears to be a nearby prison for officers and other “special” prisoners called Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

Its cells are much more adequate than those in the larger jail, although nevertheless a world away from the opulence Bolsonaro had while residing in the stunning official residence, around 12 miles away.

According to sources, the room Bolsonaro could likely reside in in Papudinha measures about 24 sq metres – roughly the area of vehicle spaces – and contains a 12 square meter bathroom with a shower and a 130 square foot veranda. “The ex-president might be authorized to have a TV and additionally a cooler in his cell as long as they were supplied by his loved ones,” information stated.

Political Comments

Senator Lucas criticized the talked-about plan to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “a type of revenge” on the part of the presiding magistrate who led Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will rule on his fate in the {

Russell King
Russell King

A digital strategist and tech writer with over a decade of experience in software development and emerging technologies.