Jailhouse Shock: Brazil's Ex-President Bolsonaro Faces Life Behind Bars

He contested justice and the legal system triumphed.

Two months following being handed a quarter-century plus sentence for attempting to “destroy” Brazil’s democratic institutions, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro now appears headed to prison.

Anticipated Jailing

The convicted plotter – who's been living under residential detention in his residence while a series of judicial steps and petitions unfold – is broadly anticipated to be incarcerated in the near future, amidst increasing speculation that he will be moved to a well-known top-security facility.

Historical Remarks on Inmates

Over Bolsonaro’s four-decade time in politics, the far-right former paratrooper displayed little mercy for the country's prison population.

“For what reason must we offer those dirtbags a good life?” he once mused. “They should just get screwed, end of story. That's my opinion.”

In another instance, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “Unless you desire to finish there, all you have to do is not rape, kidnap or rob.”

Jail Facility Speculation

But the prospect of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda maximum security prison in Brasília has shocked supporters, a group of four this week visited the facility in an seeming attempt to dissuade the judiciary from transferring him there.

Senator Lucas, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was among that group, said he anticipated the 70-year-old leader to be jailed in the next 10 days and was concerned his destination could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s serious digestive issues – the consequence of a almost deadly assault during the 2018 presidential campaign – implied it would be hazardous to keep the one-time head of state there. “His health is very grave. He cannot to cope if they take him to Papuda … It could be awful,” said the senator, who also expressed concern about cramped cells and the quality of jail cuisine.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas remembered witnessing cells holding 40 inmates: “That’s almost one square metre per inmate.

“We spoke to the convicts and they protest, naturally, of the terrible food,” remarked the senator.

Supporters React

He is not the only voice expressing views before the one-time head of state's expected detention.

Authoring in a major newspaper, a different supporter, the ex- government official Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “severe” end to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” political career and alleged Brazil was about to witness “the biggest political injustice in its history”.

“This is an wrong that erodes the spirits of many Brazilian citizens,” the former minister said.

Mixed Public Response

That may be accurate due to the significant support Bolsonaro maintains on the right-wing. However his expected jailing has also warmed the hearts of many others who believe he should be jailed for planning to stop his successor from becoming president – and also scheming to have him murdered.

The lawmaker, a politician for the sitting president's political party, said: “Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be sent in a dark cell. Nobody desires Bolsonaro to be sent in solitary confinement. Nobody wants Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We desire him to receive proper care – but proper handling behind bars. He must not persist being his self-appointed guard for his whole life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro supporters, who have long praising the harsh treatment of inmates, had abruptly become aware to their privileges. “Only now has the extreme right – which has consistently claimed that basic rights were not for criminals – chosen to inspect a prison to learn what conditions are really like,” he said.

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

Likely Jail Environment

Despite speculation that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which currently contains about fourteen thousand prisoners, his probable destination appears to be a adjacent penitentiary for law enforcement and other “particular” detainees referred to as Papudinha (Little Papuda).

His potential cell are considerably more pleasant than those in the primary facility, although still a distant from the opulence Bolsonaro enjoyed while residing in the stunning presidential palace, about 12 miles away.

According to sources, the room Bolsonaro could anticipate inhabit in Papudinha measures about 24 square meters – approximately the size of two parking spaces – and includes a 130 square foot WC with a water facility and a 12 sq metre terrace. “The ex-president might be allowed to have a television and also a small fridge in his quarters as long as they were supplied by his family,” the report suggested.

Political Comments

Senator Lucas denounced the talked-about plan to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “a form of revenge” on the part of the judicial authority who oversaw Bolsonaro’s legal case and will rule on his future in the {

Cole Johnson
Cole Johnson

A seasoned casino analyst with over a decade of experience in slot machine mechanics and online gambling trends.