Prison Shock: The Ex-President Jair Bolsonaro Confronts Life Behind Bars

He fought justice and the legal system prevailed.

A couple of months following receiving a twenty-seven-year sentence for attempting to “destroy” the nation's democratic institutions, former president Jair Bolsonaro at last looks headed to prison.

Expected Jailing

The convicted instigator – who had been subject to residential detention in his mansion while a number of judicial steps and petitions unfold – is widely expected to be jailed in the coming days, amidst growing talk that he will be transferred to a notorious high-security prison.

Past Statements on Inmates

During Bolsonaro’s long time in politics, the conservative former paratrooper displayed scant mercy for Brazil’s inmates.

“For what reason must we offer these lowlifes a easy time?” he once mused. “They should just get screwed, full-fucking-stop. That's my opinion.”

At another time, Bolsonaro declared: “Unless you desire to wind up behind bars, the only thing required is to avoid rape, kidnap or theft.”

Prison Location Speculation

But the prospect of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda prison high-security prison in Brasília has appalled supporters, four of whom this week toured the prison in an obvious attempt to dissuade the judiciary from transferring him there.

Izalci Lucas, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s political party who was among that group, stated he anticipated the elderly leader to be jailed in the coming fortnight and was concerned his destination could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s acute intestinal ailments – the outcome of a life-threatening stabbing during the 2018 presidential political campaign – implied it would be hazardous to keep the one-time head of state there. “His health is extremely serious. He will not be able to handle it if they move him to Papuda … It would be dreadful,” said the senator, who also worried about cramped cells and the standard of inmate food.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas remembered witnessing cells holding 40 prisoners: “That’s almost one square meter per prisoner.

“We talked to the prisoners and they complain, naturally, of the horrible food,” added the senator.

Backers React

He is not the lone figure expressing views prior to the ex-leader's predicted imprisonment.

Authoring in a prominent newspaper, another ally, the ex- cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “harsh” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” time in office and alleged Brazil was about to see “the largest political injustice in its record”.

“This is an injustice that erodes the souls of millions of Brazilians,” he stated.

Mixed Popular Reaction

It is possibly accurate considering the considerable following Bolsonaro maintains on the Brazilian right. Yet his predicted incarceration has also warmed the hearts of many other people who feel he should be incarcerated for conspiring to prevent the incoming president from assuming office – and additionally conspiring to have him assassinated.

Congressman Otoni, a congressman for the current administration's political party, stated: “Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to be sent in a dungeon. Nobody desires Bolsonaro to be sent in isolation. No one wants Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We wish him to obtain respectful treatment – but respectful handling while incarcerated. He must not persist being his self-appointed guard for his whole life.”

He observed how Bolsonaro backers, who have spent years applauding the severe conditions of convicts, had unexpectedly realized to their rights. “Just now has the extreme right – which has repeatedly argued that civil liberties are not for offenders – decided to visit a prison to discover what situations are actually like,” he remarked.

“Bolsonaro is a offender,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he earned “shameful, insulting treatment”.

Possible Incarceration Conditions

In spite of talk that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which currently holds about thousands of detainees, his probable location looks to be a close prison for officers and other “unique” inmates referred to as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

His potential cell are far more comfortable than those in the primary facility, although nonetheless a distant from the luxury Bolsonaro experienced while occupying the stunning presidential palace, about a short distance away.

According to reports, the room Bolsonaro could anticipate reside in in Papudinha has about 24 sq metres – approximately the dimensions of a couple of car spots – and contains a 12 square meter bathroom with a water facility and a 130 square foot terrace. “The ex-president might be permitted to have a set and additionally a minibar in his cell as long as they were supplied by his relatives,” sources suggested.

Partisan Comments

The lawmaker criticized the rumoured proposal to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “an act of payback” on the part of the judicial authority who led Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will decide his future in the {

Robert Fisher
Robert Fisher

Elara is an environmental writer and avid traveler passionate about sustainable living and wildlife conservation.