Prison Shock: The FormerPresident Bolsonaro Confronts Time in Prison

He fought the law and the law prevailed.

A couple of months after being handed a quarter-century plus sentence for seeking to “eradicate” the nation's democratic institutions, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro finally appears jail-bound.

Imminent Jailing

The adjudicated instigator – who has been under home confinement in his residence while a set of judicial steps and petitions unfold – is broadly anticipated to be incarcerated in the next few days, during increasing talk that he will be moved to a notorious top-security facility.

Historical Remarks on Prisoners

During Bolsonaro’s four-decade public life, the far-right former soldier showed little sympathy for the country's prison population.

“For what reason must we provide those dirtbags a easy time?” he previously wondered. “They ought to simply be messed, full-fucking-stop. That's my view.”

At another time, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “Should you not wish to finish there, the only thing required is to avoid sexual assault, kidnap or theft.”

Incarceration Location Debate

But the prospect of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda prison high-security prison in Brasília has horrified backers, several of whom this week visited the prison in an seeming attempt to discourage the supreme court from sending him there.

Izalci Lucas, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was among that group, stated he expected the 70-year-old figure to be incarcerated in the coming fortnight and was concerned his location could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s acute intestinal problems – the result of a almost deadly knife attack during the 2018 presidential election race – signified it would be hazardous to keep the ex-leader there. “His [health] situation is extremely serious. He will not be able to manage if they take him to Papuda … It could be dreadful,” he commented, who also expressed concern about cramped cells and the condition of inmate food.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas noted observing cells accommodating four dozen inmates: “That’s practically one meter squared per prisoner.

“We talked to the convicts and they grumble, naturally, of the awful meals,” added the senator.

Allies React

The senator isn't the only voice voicing opinions before the former president’s expected incarceration.

Authoring in a major publication, one more backer, the former communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “severe” end to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” political career and claimed Brazil was about to see “the greatest political injustice in its past”.

“It represents an injustice that erodes the spirits of countless people in Brazil,” the former minister said.

Mixed General Opinion

That may be true considering the considerable following Bolsonaro retains on the conservative side. Yet his predicted imprisonment has also warmed the feelings of millions other people who think he ought to be imprisoned for planning to block the elected leader from becoming president – and additionally plotting to have him assassinated.

The lawmaker, a representative for the current leader's political party, stated: “Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be sent in a dungeon. Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be put in isolation. No one wants Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We desire him to get respectful care – but proper handling behind bars. He can’t persist being his personal jailer for his lifetime.”

He observed how Bolsonaro supporters, who have for a long time applauding the tough handling of inmates, had unexpectedly woken up to their privileges. “Only now has the far-right – which has always argued that human rights were not for offenders – chosen to visit a jail to discover what circumstances are really like,” he stated.

“The former president is a offender,” Otoni insisted, but that did not mean he merited “humiliating, degrading conduct”.

Potential Jail Conditions

Despite talk that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which now holds about fourteen thousand detainees, his probable destination looks to be a adjacent jail for police officers and other “special” inmates known as Papudinha (Little Papuda).

Its cells are much more pleasant than those in the main prison, although still a world away from the opulence Bolsonaro had while living in the spectacular leader's home, approximately 20 kilometers away.

Based on reports, the cell Bolsonaro could expect to occupy in Papudinha is about 24 sq metres – roughly the size of two parking spaces – and features a 12 square meter WC with a bathing area and a 12 square meter veranda. “The ex-president might be authorized to have a set and also a minibar in his cell as long as they were supplied by his family,” information indicated.

Partisan Responses

Senator Lucas criticized the talked-about plan to send the ex-president to Papuda as “an act of revenge” on the part of the supreme court judge who presided over Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will determine his outcome in the {

Anna Davila
Anna Davila

Elena is a seasoned mountaineer and outdoor writer with over 15 years of experience scaling peaks across Europe and Asia.