Prison Surprise: The FormerPresident Jair Bolsonaro Faces Time in Prison

He fought justice and justice prevailed.

Sixty days subsequent to getting a quarter-century plus sentence for seeking to “destroy” Brazil’s democratic institutions, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro now looks destined for incarceration.

Anticipated Incarceration

The convicted coup-monger – who's been living under residential detention in his mansion while a series of judicial steps and challenges proceed – is largely predicted to be incarcerated in the next few days, during growing rumors that he will be sent to a notorious maximum security prison.

Previous Comments on Inmates

Over Bolsonaro’s four-decade time in politics, the far-right ex- military man exhibited minimal compassion for the country's jailed individuals.

“What’s the need to offer those lowlifes a comfortable existence?” he once mused. “They should just get messed, period. That's my opinion.”

On another occasion, Bolsonaro stated: “If you don’t want to end up there, the only thing required is not sexual assault, abduction or rob.”

Incarceration Destination Debate

But the idea of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda maximum security prison in Brasília has appalled backers, several of whom this week inspected the prison in an seeming effort to discourage the high court from sending him there.

Izalci Lucas, a senator from Bolsonaro’s political party who was one of the visitors, claimed he expected the elderly leader to be imprisoned in the coming fortnight and worried his assigned prison could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s severe intestinal problems – the outcome of a near-fatal knife attack during the 2018 presidential campaign – meant it would be hazardous to keep the ex-leader there. “His condition is highly critical. He won’t be able to cope if they send him to Papuda … It will be terrible,” said the senator, who also expressed concern about overcrowded cells and the condition of jail cuisine.

During his tour Papuda, Lucas noted observing cells accommodating forty detainees: “It's almost one square metre per inmate.

“We talked to the convicts and they complain, naturally, of the terrible cuisine,” added the senator.

Allies React

Lucas is not the only voice expressing views prior to the former president’s expected detention.

Authoring in a major newspaper, one more backer, the ex- communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “brutal” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” political career and asserted Brazil was about to experience “the biggest political injustice in its record”.

“It is an injustice that gnaws the spirits of many of Brazilians,” he stated.

Divided Public Opinion

It is possibly true due to the considerable support Bolsonaro retains on the Brazilian right. But his expected incarceration has also pleased the feelings of numerous others who feel he ought to be jailed for plotting to block the elected leader from becoming president – and even scheming to have him killed.

The lawmaker, a congressman for the current leader's Workers’ party, said: “Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be put in a dungeon. No one wants Bolsonaro to be sent in solitary confinement. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We wish him to get proper handling – but dignified care in prison. He can’t persist being his self-appointed guard for his entire life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro allies, who have spent years celebrating the severe conditions of prisoners, had abruptly become aware to their privileges. “Only now has the far-right – which has always argued that civil liberties should not be for criminals – decided to tour a jail to learn what conditions are really like,” he remarked.

“The former president is a offender,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he earned “shameful, degrading handling”.

Likely Jail Conditions

In spite of talk that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which currently holds about fourteen thousand detainees, his expected location seems to be a adjacent jail for police officers and other “unique” detainees called Papudinha (Small Papuda).

His potential cell are considerably more pleasant than those in the primary facility, although still a far cry from the luxury Bolsonaro had while living in the spectacular official residence, around a short distance away.

Based on information, the room Bolsonaro could expect to reside in in Papudinha has about 24 sq metres – approximately the area of two parking spaces – and features a 130 square foot bathroom with a shower and a 12 square meter terrace. “The ex-president might be permitted to have a television and additionally a small fridge in his room as long as they were provided by his relatives,” the report indicated.

Political Responses

The lawmaker condemned the speculated plan to send the ex-president to Papuda as “a type of retaliation” on the part of the judicial authority who led Bolsonaro’s legal case and will decide his outcome in the {

James Simpson
James Simpson

A tech journalist and digital strategist with over a decade of experience covering emerging technologies and their impact on daily life.