Prison Shock: The FormerPresident Jair Bolsonaro Faces Life in Prison

He battled justice and justice prevailed.

Sixty days subsequent to receiving a quarter-century plus sentence for seeking to “eradicate” Brazil’s democracy, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro now looks jail-bound.

Anticipated Imprisonment

The convicted instigator – who's been subject to home confinement in his estate while a number of judicial steps and challenges unfold – is broadly anticipated to be imprisoned in the near future, amidst growing talk that he will be transferred to a infamous top-security prison.

Historical Remarks on Inmates

Over Bolsonaro’s long political career, the far-right ex- paratrooper exhibited little compassion for the country's inmates.

“For what reason must we offer those scoundrels a easy time?” he once pondered. “They should just get messed, end of story. That's my opinion.”

On another occasion, Bolsonaro stated: “If you don’t want to finish in prison, you simply need is not rape, abduction or theft.”

Incarceration Facility Speculation

However the idea of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda maximum security prison in Brasília has appalled allies, four of whom this week toured the prison in an apparent bid to prevent the supreme court from banishing him there.

Izalci Lucas, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was one of the visitors, claimed he expected the 70-year-old politician to be jailed in the following week and a half and feared his destination could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s acute digestive problems – the outcome of a almost deadly assault during the 2018 presidential political campaign – implied it would be hazardous to keep the ex-leader there. “His [health] situation is very grave. He cannot to cope if they take him to Papuda … It could be terrible,” he added, who also worried about overcrowded cells and the quality of inmate food.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas noted seeing cells containing forty prisoners: “That is almost one meter squared per detainee.

“We conversed to the inmates and they complain, naturally, of the awful food,” continued the senator.

Backers Speak Out

He is not the lone figure speaking out ahead of the ex-leader's anticipated detention.

Penning in a major publication, one more backer, the former communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “harsh” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” time in office and claimed Brazil was about to see “the largest unfairness in its record”.

“This is an unfairness that erodes the hearts of countless people in Brazil,” he stated.

Divided Public Opinion

This could be true given the considerable backing Bolsonaro maintains on the right-wing. But his expected incarceration has also gladdened the feelings of many other people who believe he deserves to be imprisoned for conspiring to prevent his successor from taking power – and also plotting to have him killed.

Reimont Otoni, a politician for the sitting administration's allied group, stated: “No one wants Bolsonaro to be sent in a dungeon. No one wishes Bolsonaro to be put in segregation. No one wants Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We wish him to obtain proper treatment – but dignified care while incarcerated. He can’t carry on being his own prison warden for his whole life.”

He observed how Bolsonaro backers, who have long applauding the harsh treatment of prisoners, had unexpectedly woken up to their rights. “Only now has the far-right – which has repeatedly argued that basic rights should not be for lawbreakers – chosen to visit a prison to discover what circumstances are really like,” he said.

“The former president is a offender,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he merited “degrading, insulting treatment”.

Possible Jail Facilities

Despite speculation that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which currently holds about 14,000 inmates, his more likely assigned facility seems to be a nearby penitentiary for law enforcement and other “special” prisoners referred to as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

The accommodations are far more pleasant than those in the primary facility, although nonetheless a far cry from the opulence Bolsonaro had while living in the impressive leader's home, around 20 kilometers away.

According to information, the room Bolsonaro could expect to inhabit in Papudinha is about 24 sq metres – roughly the dimensions of a couple of car spots – and includes a 12 sq metre WC with a shower and a 130 square foot veranda. “Bolsonaro would be permitted to have a TV and also a small fridge in his quarters as long as they were supplied by his relatives,” the report indicated.

Partisan Responses

Senator Lucas denounced the talked-about proposal to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “a type of payback” on the part of the judicial authority who presided over Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will decide his outcome in the {

Terri Howell
Terri Howell

Lena is a digital strategist with over 8 years of experience in web development and content marketing, passionate about creating user-centric designs.