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

He fought the law and the law triumphed.

Two months following being handed a 27-year sentence for trying to “eradicate” Brazil’s democratic institutions, former president Jair Bolsonaro at last seems jail-bound.

Anticipated Imprisonment

The found-guilty coup-monger – who's been living under home confinement in his mansion while a series of judicial steps and appeals unfold – is largely predicted to be incarcerated in the near future, amid mounting speculation that he will be transferred to a infamous maximum security facility.

Previous Remarks on Prisoners

Over Bolsonaro’s four-decade political career, the right-wing ex- paratrooper exhibited minimal mercy for Brazil’s prison population.

“For what reason must we give these scoundrels a good life?” he once mused. “They should just get fucked, period. That's my view.”

In another instance, Bolsonaro declared: “Unless you desire to wind up there, all you have to do is not sexual assault, abduction or rob.”

Prison Location Speculation

However the possibility of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda prison high-security prison in Brasília has shocked backers, four of whom this week visited the complex in an seeming bid to prevent the judiciary from sending him there.

Izalci Lucas, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was one of the visitors, stated he expected the 70-year-old figure to be imprisoned in the coming fortnight and feared his location could be Papuda.

He asserted Bolsonaro’s serious digestive ailments – the consequence of a life-threatening stabbing during the 2018 presidential presidential campaign – signified it would be risky to keep the former president there. “His health is very grave. He won’t be able to cope if they send him to Papuda … It will be terrible,” he added, who also worried about overcrowded cells and the condition of jail cuisine.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas remembered seeing cells containing forty detainees: “That’s almost one meter squared per detainee.

“We conversed to the inmates and they complain, naturally, of the terrible meals,” remarked the senator.

Supporters React

Lucas is not the only voice expressing views before the former president’s anticipated imprisonment.

Authoring in a prominent daily, a different supporter, the former cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “brutal” end to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” time in office and asserted Brazil was about to experience “the largest political injustice in its past”.

“This is an wrong that eats away the souls of millions people in Brazil,” the former minister said.

Mixed General Reaction

That may be true due to the considerable following Bolsonaro holds on the Brazilian right. Yet his predicted jailing has also gladdened the hearts of numerous others who believe he should be imprisoned for plotting to stop the elected leader from becoming president – and additionally plotting to have him assassinated.

Reimont Otoni, a representative for the sitting administration's allied group, said: “No one desires Bolsonaro to be put in a hole. Nobody wants Bolsonaro to be put in solitary confinement. Nobody desires Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We want him to receive dignified handling – but respectful care behind bars. He cannot persist being his personal jailer for his entire life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro backers, who have for a long time applauding the severe treatment of convicts, had suddenly woken up to their privileges. “Just now has the conservative fringe – which has repeatedly asserted that basic rights are not for offenders – chosen to inspect a jail to learn what conditions are really like,” he remarked.

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

Potential Prison Conditions

In spite of speculation that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which now contains about 14,000 detainees, his probable destination appears to be a nearby penitentiary for law enforcement and other “particular” detainees referred to as Papudinha (Small Papuda).

The accommodations are considerably more pleasant than those in the main prison, although nevertheless a distant from the comfort Bolsonaro had while residing in the impressive leader's home, around 12 miles away.

According to sources, the accommodation Bolsonaro could likely occupy in Papudinha has about 24 square meters – roughly the area of vehicle spaces – and features a 130 square foot WC with a shower and a 12 sq metre terrace. “He could be permitted to have a TV and also a minibar in his quarters as long as they were donated by his family,” information stated.

Partisan Responses

The lawmaker denounced the speculated idea to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “a type of retaliation” on the part of the judicial authority who oversaw Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will determine his fate in the {

James Fisher
James Fisher

A data scientist and tech writer passionate about demystifying AI and emerging technologies through accessible, in-depth content.