Jailhouse Surprise: Brazil's Ex-President Jair Bolsonaro Confronts Life in Prison

He fought the legal system and the legal system won.

A couple of months subsequent to getting a twenty-seven-year sentence for seeking to “annihilate” Brazil’s political system, former president Jair Bolsonaro at last appears headed to prison.

Expected Jailing

The found-guilty instigator – who had been under home confinement in his estate while a number of judicial steps and challenges unfold – is broadly anticipated to be incarcerated in the coming days, amidst mounting rumors that he will be transferred to a infamous maximum security prison.

Previous Comments on Inmates

Over Bolsonaro’s four-decade public life, the right-wing ex- military man exhibited scant compassion for the country's jailed individuals.

“Why should we give those dirtbags a easy time?” he once pondered. “They ought to simply be fucked, end of story. That's my view.”

In another instance, Bolsonaro stated: “Should you not wish to wind up behind bars, the only thing required is to avoid rape, abduction or theft.”

Prison Facility Discussion

Yet the possibility of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda prison top-security prison in Brasília has shocked backers, four of whom this week inspected the prison in an apparent attempt to discourage the judiciary from sending him there.

The senator, a senator from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was among that group, said he anticipated the elderly politician to be imprisoned in the following week and a half and was concerned his location could be Papuda.

He asserted Bolsonaro’s acute intestinal issues – the result of a life-threatening knife attack during the 2018 presidential election race – implied it would be hazardous to keep the ex-leader there. “His health is very grave. He cannot to handle it if they take him to Papuda … It could be terrible,” said the senator, who also voiced anxiety about overcrowded cells and the quality of jail cuisine.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas recalled witnessing cells accommodating four dozen inmates: “It's virtually one meter squared per inmate.

“We conversed to the inmates and they complain, unsurprisingly, of the awful meals,” added the senator.

Allies Speak Out

The senator isn't the lone figure expressing views before the ex-leader's predicted imprisonment.

Penning in a leading publication, one more backer, the former communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “brutal” finale to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” public service and alleged Brazil was about to witness “the largest unfairness in its past”.

“This is an unfairness that erodes the hearts of many Brazilian citizens,” he stated.

Mixed Public Response

This could be true considering the considerable support Bolsonaro retains on the right-wing. Yet his expected jailing has also pleased the hearts of millions other people who feel he deserves to be jailed for plotting to block the elected leader from taking power – and also conspiring to have him killed.

The lawmaker, a congressman for the current administration's allied group, commented: “Nobody desires Bolsonaro to be put in a hole. No one wishes Bolsonaro to be placed in segregation. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to lie on concrete. We wish him to get dignified handling – but dignified handling while incarcerated. He must not continue being his self-appointed guard for his lifetime.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro allies, who have spent years praising the severe treatment of convicts, had abruptly woken up to their privileges. “Recently has the conservative fringe – which has consistently claimed that basic rights were not for criminals – decided to visit a prison to learn what conditions are truly like,” he stated.

“Bolsonaro is a offender,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he merited “humiliating, degrading conduct”.

Likely Incarceration Conditions

Regardless of speculation that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which currently contains about fourteen thousand inmates, his more likely destination seems to be a nearby prison for law enforcement and other “unique” prisoners known as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

His potential cell are much more pleasant than those in the larger jail, although nonetheless a far cry from the luxury Bolsonaro experienced while living in the stunning official residence, about a short distance away.

Based on sources, the accommodation Bolsonaro could expect to reside in in Papudinha is about 24 square meters – roughly the dimensions of two parking spaces – and contains a 12 sq metre bathroom with a water facility and a 12 square meter veranda. “Bolsonaro would be allowed to have a TV and additionally a minibar in his quarters as long as they were provided by his relatives,” sources stated.

Political Reactions

The lawmaker condemned the talked-about proposal to send the former leader to Papuda as “an act of revenge” on the part of the judicial authority who led Bolsonaro’s legal case and will decide his future in the {

Joshua Mann
Joshua Mann

A digital strategist with over 10 years of experience in helping businesses scale through data-driven marketing approaches.