Prison Shock: The Ex-President Jair Bolsonaro Faces Time Behind Bars

He contested justice and the law won.

Two months after being handed a 27-year sentence for seeking to “annihilate” the nation's political system, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro now seems jail-bound.

Anticipated Jailing

The adjudicated instigator – who had been subject to residential detention in his residence while a number of court processes and challenges proceed – is broadly anticipated to be incarcerated in the next few days, during growing rumors that he will be transferred to a well-known maximum security facility.

Historical Comments on Prisoners

Over Bolsonaro’s 40-year public life, the right-wing former soldier displayed little sympathy for the country's prison population.

“Why should we give those scoundrels a good life?” he previously wondered. “They should just get messed, end of story. That’s what I reckon.”

In another instance, Bolsonaro declared: “Unless you desire to end up there, you simply need is not sexual assault, abduction or rob.”

Incarceration Facility Speculation

But the idea of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda prison top-security prison in Brasília has horrified supporters, several of whom this week toured the facility in an seeming attempt to dissuade the judiciary from transferring him there.

The senator, a senator from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was among that group, claimed he anticipated the elderly leader to be jailed in the following week and a half and worried his destination could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s serious intestinal issues – the outcome of a almost deadly stabbing during the 2018 presidential presidential campaign – signified it would be dangerous to keep the former president there. “His [health] situation is highly critical. He will not be able to handle it if they send him to Papuda … It could be dreadful,” he added, who also worried about packed cells and the standard of jail cuisine.

During his tour Papuda, Lucas recalled seeing cells containing 40 inmates: “That is virtually one square metre per detainee.

“We talked to the inmates and they grumble, of course, of the awful cuisine,” added the senator.

Supporters React

He is not the only voice voicing opinions before the former president’s predicted incarceration.

Penning in a prominent newspaper, another ally, the ex- communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “severe” end to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” political career and alleged Brazil was about to witness “the largest wrong in its past”.

“It is an wrong that eats away the souls of countless people in Brazil,” he stated.

Mixed Public Response

That may be correct given the substantial backing Bolsonaro maintains on the Brazilian right. Yet his predicted incarceration has also pleased the feelings of numerous individuals who believe he deserves to be incarcerated for planning to stop the incoming president from becoming president – and also plotting to have him assassinated.

Congressman Otoni, a politician for the incumbent administration's Workers’ party, said: “No one wishes Bolsonaro to be put in a dungeon. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to be placed in segregation. No one wishes Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We want him to get dignified care – but proper treatment in prison. He must not carry on being his personal jailer for his entire life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro allies, who have long celebrating the harsh handling of inmates, had unexpectedly become aware to their privileges. “Only now has the conservative fringe – which has consistently argued that human rights are not for offenders – chosen to inspect a penitentiary to discover what situations are truly like,” he said.

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

Potential Prison Environment

Despite rumors that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which presently contains about 14,000 prisoners, his probable destination appears to be a close prison for law enforcement and other “special” detainees referred to as Papudinha (Small Papuda).

Its cells are considerably more comfortable than those in the primary facility, although nevertheless a world away from the luxury Bolsonaro experienced while living in the stunning official residence, around 20 kilometers away.

According to reports, the room Bolsonaro could likely reside in in Papudinha has about 24 square meters – approximately the area of two parking spaces – and features a 130 square foot WC with a bathing area and a 12 sq metre terrace. “He could be allowed to have a TV and additionally a small fridge in his cell as long as they were supplied by his family,” the report suggested.

Political Responses

The lawmaker condemned the speculated idea to send the ex-president to Papuda as “a type of retaliation” on the part of the supreme court judge who led Bolsonaro’s legal case and will determine his future in the {

Joshua Ware
Joshua Ware

A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in online casinos, specializing in slot machine mechanics and player psychology.