Jailhouse Shock: The FormerPresident Bolsonaro Faces Life in Prison

He fought the law and the legal system won.

Sixty days following getting a quarter-century plus sentence for trying to “eradicate” Brazil’s democracy, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro now appears headed to prison.

Imminent Incarceration

The adjudicated instigator – who had been subject to house arrest in his estate while a number of court processes and challenges proceed – is largely predicted to be incarcerated in the next few days, during increasing talk that he will be transferred to a notorious top-security penitentiary.

Previous Comments on Inmates

During Bolsonaro’s 40-year time in politics, the right-wing ex- military man showed scant compassion for the country's prison population.

“For what reason must we give those dirtbags a easy time?” he once mused. “They should just get fucked, end of story. That's my opinion.”

At another time, Bolsonaro declared: “Unless you desire to finish in prison, you simply need is not rape, abduction or theft.”

Jail Location Debate

Yet the possibility of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda prison high-security prison in Brasília has appalled supporters, a group of four this week inspected the prison in an apparent bid to discourage the judiciary from banishing him there.

Izalci Lucas, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s political party who was part of that quartet, stated he expected the septuagenarian leader to be imprisoned in the following week and a half and was concerned his assigned prison could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s serious intestinal ailments – the consequence of a life-threatening assault during the last presidential campaign – implied it would be risky to keep the ex-leader there. “His [health] situation is extremely serious. He won’t be able to cope if they move him to Papuda … It will be dreadful,” he added, who also voiced anxiety about overcrowded cells and the condition of jail cuisine.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas recalled seeing cells holding four dozen detainees: “That’s practically one meter squared per detainee.

“We spoke to the convicts and they protest, naturally, of the awful meals,” continued the senator.

Allies React

He is not the lone figure speaking out before the one-time head of state's anticipated incarceration.

Writing in a leading publication, one more backer, the ex- communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “severe” end to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” public service and alleged Brazil was about to witness “the greatest unfairness in its history”.

“It represents an unfairness that erodes the souls of many of Brazilians,” he stated.

Mixed Public Opinion

It is possibly true due to the considerable backing Bolsonaro maintains on the conservative side. But his predicted incarceration has also gladdened the spirits of numerous other people who think he ought to be jailed for conspiring to prevent the incoming president from becoming president – and also conspiring to have him assassinated.

The lawmaker, a congressman for the incumbent leader's political party, commented: “Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to be sent in a hole. Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to be sent in segregation. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We wish him to obtain proper treatment – but dignified treatment behind bars. He cannot continue being his personal jailer for his lifetime.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro supporters, who have long praising the severe handling of convicts, had unexpectedly realized to their rights. “Recently has the far-right – which has always argued that civil liberties were not for lawbreakers – decided to visit a prison to learn what circumstances are actually like,” he stated.

“The former president is a offender,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he merited “humiliating, insulting treatment”.

Likely Jail Facilities

Despite rumors that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which presently contains about 14,000 inmates, his more likely destination appears to be a close penitentiary for law enforcement and other “particular” detainees referred to as Papudinha (Little Papuda).

His potential cell are considerably more comfortable than those in the primary facility, although still a distant from the comfort Bolsonaro had while residing in the stunning presidential palace, approximately 12 miles away.

Based on reports, the room Bolsonaro could anticipate reside in in Papudinha has about 24 square meters – roughly the dimensions of vehicle spaces – and features a 12 square meter bathroom with a water facility and a 12 sq metre terrace. “Bolsonaro would be allowed to have a TV and even a cooler in his quarters as long as they were provided by his relatives,” sources suggested.

Ideological Reactions

The lawmaker denounced the rumoured plan to send the ex-president to Papuda as “a type of payback” on the part of the supreme court judge who presided over Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will rule on his future in the {

Scott Larsen
Scott Larsen

A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in online casino trends and player psychology.