Jailhouse Surprise: Brazil's FormerPresident Jair Bolsonaro Confronts Time Behind Bars

He fought the law and the legal system prevailed.

A couple of months following getting a quarter-century plus sentence for seeking to “destroy” the nation's democratic institutions, former president Jair Bolsonaro now appears destined for incarceration.

Anticipated Jailing

The adjudicated instigator – who has been living under residential detention in his estate while a set of court processes and petitions play out – is widely expected to be incarcerated in the next few days, during increasing speculation that he will be transferred to a infamous maximum security prison.

Previous Comments on Prisoners

Throughout Bolsonaro’s 40-year time in politics, the right-wing ex- soldier exhibited little mercy for the country's inmates.

“For what reason must we give those scoundrels a good life?” he once pondered. “They deserve to be messed, full-fucking-stop. That's my view.”

In another instance, Bolsonaro declared: “Unless you desire to finish there, all you have to do is to avoid sexual assault, abduction or rob.”

Incarceration Location Speculation

But the possibility of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda high-security prison in Brasília has horrified supporters, several of whom this week inspected the facility in an obvious attempt to discourage the judiciary from banishing him there.

The senator, a senator from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was among that group, said he expected the septuagenarian figure to be incarcerated in the coming fortnight and feared his destination could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s severe digestive issues – the outcome of a near-fatal stabbing during the last election race – signified it would be dangerous 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 would be dreadful,” said the senator, who also worried about cramped cells and the condition of prison meals.

During his tour Papuda, Lucas remembered witnessing cells accommodating four dozen prisoners: “It's practically one square metre per detainee.

“We conversed to the inmates and they grumble, naturally, of the horrible meals,” continued the senator.

Backers Speak Out

The senator isn't the sole person speaking out before the ex-leader's predicted incarceration.

Penning in a leading daily, a different supporter, the ex- cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “severe” finale to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” political career and claimed Brazil was about to see “the greatest wrong in its record”.

“It is an unfairness that gnaws the spirits of millions of Brazilians,” Wajngarten wrote.

Divided Popular Response

That may be correct given the significant support Bolsonaro retains on the conservative side. However his expected incarceration has also gladdened the feelings of numerous other people who feel he deserves to be imprisoned for plotting to prevent the incoming president from assuming office – and additionally conspiring to have him killed.

The lawmaker, a politician for the incumbent president's Workers’ party, said: “Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to be placed in a hole. Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be put in isolation. Nobody wishes Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to lie on concrete. We desire him to get respectful treatment – but respectful treatment behind bars. He must not persist being his personal jailer for his entire life.”

He observed how Bolsonaro allies, who have long celebrating the severe conditions of inmates, had abruptly woken up to their privileges. “Only now has the far-right – which has consistently asserted that basic rights are not for criminals – opted to tour a jail to discover what situations are actually like,” he remarked.

“He is a offender,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he merited “humiliating, demeaning treatment”.

Potential Incarceration Conditions

Regardless of speculation that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which now contains about thousands of prisoners, his more likely assigned facility appears to be a adjacent jail for officers and other “unique” inmates referred to as Papudinha (Little Papuda).

His potential cell are far more pleasant than those in the primary facility, although nevertheless a world away from the opulence Bolsonaro enjoyed while occupying the spectacular official residence, approximately 12 miles away.

Based on reports, the cell Bolsonaro could expect to occupy in Papudinha measures about 24 square meters – roughly the size of two parking spaces – and contains a 12 square meter bathroom with a water facility and a 12 sq metre balcony. “Bolsonaro would be authorized to have a TV and additionally a minibar in his quarters as long as they were supplied by his loved ones,” sources stated.

Ideological Reactions

He criticized the talked-about plan to send the former leader to Papuda as “a form of payback” on the part of the judicial authority who oversaw Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will determine his future in the {

Karina Smith
Karina Smith

A seasoned casino reviewer with over a decade of experience in online gambling, specializing in slot game analysis and responsible gaming practices.