Jailhouse Surprise: Brazil's Ex-President Jair Bolsonaro Confronts Time in Prison

He fought justice and the legal system triumphed.

Sixty days subsequent to being handed a twenty-seven-year sentence for attempting to “annihilate” Brazil’s political system, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro finally looks headed to prison.

Anticipated Incarceration

The found-guilty coup-monger – who's been living under house arrest in his residence while a number of judicial steps and appeals proceed – is broadly anticipated to be imprisoned in the next few days, amidst increasing rumors that he will be moved to a infamous maximum security facility.

Past Comments on Prisoners

Throughout Bolsonaro’s long time in politics, the conservative ex- soldier showed minimal mercy for Brazil’s inmates.

“Why should we provide those dirtbags a comfortable existence?” he once mused. “They should just get messed, full-fucking-stop. That's my opinion.”

At another time, Bolsonaro stated: “Should you not wish to wind up in prison, you simply need is not rape, kidnap or theft.”

Prison Location Discussion

Yet the prospect of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda prison high-security prison in Brasília has horrified backers, four of whom this week inspected the complex in an obvious effort to prevent the high court from banishing him there.

Izalci Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was among that group, claimed he expected the septuagenarian figure to be incarcerated in the following week and a half and worried his location could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s severe gut ailments – the outcome of a near-fatal stabbing during the last political campaign – signified it would be risky to keep the former president there. “His [health] situation is very grave. He won’t be able to manage if they send him to Papuda … It could be terrible,” said the senator, who also worried about packed cells and the condition of inmate food.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas remembered witnessing cells holding 40 detainees: “That’s virtually one square metre per prisoner.

“We spoke to the inmates and they protest, unsurprisingly, of the awful food,” added the senator.

Supporters Speak Out

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

Writing in a prominent publication, one more backer, the ex- government official Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “harsh” end to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” political career and claimed Brazil was about to see “the biggest unfairness in its record”.

“It represents an injustice that gnaws the spirits of many of Brazilians,” Wajngarten wrote.

Divided General Reaction

It is possibly true considering the significant following Bolsonaro holds on the conservative side. However his expected incarceration has also warmed the hearts of many other people who think he ought to be imprisoned for plotting to stop the elected leader from assuming office – and additionally scheming to have him killed.

The lawmaker, a representative for the sitting leader's political party, commented: “Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to be placed in a hole. No one desires Bolsonaro to be sent in isolation. Nobody wants Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We desire him to receive proper handling – but respectful handling in prison. He cannot continue being his self-appointed guard for his whole life.”

He observed how Bolsonaro supporters, who have spent years celebrating the tough treatment of convicts, had unexpectedly woken up to their entitlements. “Only now has the conservative fringe – which has repeatedly argued that human rights are not for criminals – chosen to visit a penitentiary to discover what situations are truly like,” he remarked.

“The former president is a offender,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he deserved “degrading, demeaning conduct”.

Likely Jail Environment

In spite of speculation that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which presently holds about 14,000 detainees, his expected assigned facility seems to be a adjacent prison for police officers and other “special” prisoners referred to as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

The accommodations are much more pleasant than those in the primary facility, although nonetheless a world away from the luxury Bolsonaro experienced while living in the impressive presidential palace, around 20 kilometers away.

According to sources, the cell Bolsonaro could likely reside in in Papudinha measures about 24 square meters – approximately the size of two parking spaces – and includes a 130 square foot bathroom with a bathing area and a 130 square foot veranda. “Bolsonaro would be authorized to have a set and even a cooler in his room as long as they were donated by his family,” the report suggested.

Partisan Responses

He denounced the rumoured proposal to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “a form of revenge” on the part of the presiding magistrate who oversaw Bolsonaro’s legal case and will decide his fate in the {

Crystal Fischer
Crystal Fischer

A passionate film critic and cinema historian with over a decade of experience analyzing movies across genres and cultures.