Jailhouse Surprise: Brazil's Ex-President Bolsonaro Faces Time in Prison

He contested justice and justice triumphed.

Sixty days after getting a quarter-century plus sentence for attempting to “destroy” the nation's democratic institutions, former president Jair Bolsonaro now appears jail-bound.

Expected Jailing

The found-guilty instigator – who's been subject to residential detention in his residence while a series of court processes and appeals proceed – is largely predicted to be imprisoned in the coming days, during growing talk that he will be transferred to a notorious high-security prison.

Historical Comments on Inmates

Throughout Bolsonaro’s 40-year political career, the conservative ex- soldier exhibited scant sympathy for the country's jailed individuals.

“What’s the need to offer these scoundrels a easy time?” he once mused. “They ought to simply be messed, full-fucking-stop. That's my opinion.”

At another time, Bolsonaro stated: “Unless you desire to finish there, you simply need is to avoid sexual assault, kidnap or theft.”

Incarceration Destination Discussion

But the idea of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda maximum security prison in Brasília has shocked allies, a group of four this week toured the prison in an apparent bid to prevent the high court from transferring him there.

Izalci Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was part of that quartet, stated he anticipated the elderly politician to be imprisoned in the following week and a half and feared his assigned prison could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s severe digestive problems – the result of a life-threatening knife attack during the 2018 political campaign – implied it would be risky to keep the one-time head of state there. “His condition is highly critical. He won’t be able to manage if they move him to Papuda … It will be dreadful,” said the senator, who also worried about packed cells and the quality of inmate food.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas remembered witnessing cells containing 40 inmates: “That is almost one meter squared per inmate.

“We talked to the convicts and they grumble, naturally, of the terrible meals,” remarked the senator.

Allies Voice Concerns

The senator isn't the lone figure voicing opinions before the one-time head of state's expected imprisonment.

Penning in a prominent daily, one more backer, the former communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “harsh” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” time in office and claimed Brazil was about to witness “the biggest political injustice in its history”.

“It represents an unfairness that gnaws the spirits of many people in Brazil,” Wajngarten wrote.

Divided Popular Response

It is possibly true given the significant backing Bolsonaro retains on the conservative side. However his predicted imprisonment has also warmed the spirits of numerous others who feel he ought to be incarcerated for planning to stop his successor from assuming office – and also scheming to have him assassinated.

Reimont Otoni, a congressman for the incumbent leader's political party, commented: “No one wants Bolsonaro to be placed in a dark cell. Nobody desires Bolsonaro to be put in solitary confinement. No one wishes Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We desire him to receive proper care – but dignified treatment while incarcerated. He must not carry on being his personal jailer for his whole life.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro backers, who have long applauding the harsh handling of convicts, had suddenly woken up to their privileges. “Just now has the extreme right – which has always asserted that basic rights should not be for criminals – opted to inspect a penitentiary to discover what conditions are truly like,” he stated.

“Bolsonaro is a lawbreaker,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he deserved “degrading, demeaning treatment”.

Likely Jail Environment

Regardless of speculation that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which now holds about fourteen thousand prisoners, his more likely location looks to be a nearby penitentiary for police officers and other “unique” inmates referred to as Papudinha (Little Papuda).

The accommodations are considerably more comfortable than those in the main prison, although nonetheless a distant from the opulence Bolsonaro had while occupying the spectacular leader's home, about 20 kilometers away.

According to sources, the room Bolsonaro could expect to occupy in Papudinha has about 24 square meters – roughly the dimensions of vehicle spaces – and contains a 130 square foot bathroom with a shower and a 12 square meter veranda. “The ex-president might be permitted to have a television and additionally a cooler in his quarters as long as they were donated by his loved ones,” information stated.

Ideological Reactions

He criticized the talked-about idea to send the ex-president to Papuda as “an act of retaliation” on the part of the supreme court judge who presided over Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will determine his future in the {

Thomas Henderson
Thomas Henderson

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