Prison Shock: Brazil's FormerPresident Jair Bolsonaro Confronts Time in Prison

He fought justice and the legal system prevailed.

Sixty days after being handed a quarter-century plus sentence for attempting to “eradicate” Brazil’s political system, former president Jair Bolsonaro at last looks destined for incarceration.

Anticipated Imprisonment

The found-guilty coup-monger – who's been subject to residential detention in his residence while a number of legal procedures and appeals proceed – is widely expected to be imprisoned in the next few days, amidst increasing rumors that he will be sent to a well-known top-security penitentiary.

Historical Statements on Prisoners

Throughout Bolsonaro’s long time in politics, the conservative ex- soldier showed little compassion for the country's prison population.

“For what reason must we provide those scoundrels a comfortable existence?” he once pondered. “They ought to simply be screwed, period. That's my opinion.”

At another time, Bolsonaro stated: “If you don’t want to wind up behind bars, the only thing required is not sexual assault, kidnap or rob.”

Jail Location Discussion

But the prospect of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda top-security prison in Brasília has horrified backers, several of whom this week toured the prison in an obvious attempt to discourage the high court from banishing him there.

Izalci Lucas, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s political party who was part of that quartet, stated he anticipated the elderly figure to be incarcerated in the next 10 days and worried his assigned prison could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s serious intestinal problems – the result of a life-threatening knife attack during the 2018 presidential campaign – implied it would be hazardous to keep the former president there. “His health is highly critical. He cannot to handle it if they take him to Papuda … It would be terrible,” said the senator, who also worried about overcrowded cells and the condition of prison meals.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas remembered seeing cells accommodating forty inmates: “That is almost one meter squared per prisoner.

“We conversed to the convicts and they grumble, unsurprisingly, of the terrible meals,” added the senator.

Backers Voice Concerns

He is not the lone figure expressing views ahead of the former president’s predicted detention.

Authoring in a major daily, one more backer, the ex- communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “harsh” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” time in office and asserted Brazil was about to see “the greatest wrong in its past”.

“It represents an wrong that gnaws the souls of many Brazilian citizens,” he stated.

Divided Public Reaction

This could be accurate given the considerable following Bolsonaro maintains on the right-wing. Yet his anticipated imprisonment has also pleased the hearts of millions others who believe he deserves to be incarcerated for plotting to prevent the elected leader from taking power – and also conspiring to have him assassinated.

Reimont Otoni, a representative for the incumbent leader's political party, said: “Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to be placed in a dungeon. Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be placed in solitary confinement. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We desire him to get proper care – but respectful treatment in prison. He must not continue being his personal jailer for his lifetime.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro supporters, who have for a long time praising the severe treatment of prisoners, had suddenly realized to their entitlements. “Only now has the extreme right – which has repeatedly claimed that civil liberties should not be for lawbreakers – decided to tour a prison to discover what conditions are actually like,” he remarked.

“He is a lawbreaker,” Otoni insisted, but that did not mean he earned “shameful, degrading conduct”.

Possible Incarceration Conditions

Despite speculation that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which currently contains about 14,000 prisoners, his probable assigned facility appears to be a nearby prison for police officers and other “special” prisoners known as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

The accommodations are far more comfortable than those in the primary facility, although still a distant from the comfort Bolsonaro experienced while residing in the spectacular presidential palace, around 20 kilometers away.

As per reports, the room Bolsonaro could likely reside in in Papudinha has about 24 sq metres – about the area of vehicle spaces – and contains a 12 sq metre restroom with a water facility and a 12 sq metre balcony. “He could be allowed to have a TV and also a small fridge in his cell as long as they were supplied by his loved ones,” the report suggested.

Political Reactions

Senator Lucas criticized the rumoured proposal to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “an act of payback” on the part of the supreme court judge who oversaw Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will rule on his fate in the {

Jason Rodriguez
Jason Rodriguez

A tech enthusiast and gaming strategist with over a decade of experience in digital entertainment and software development.