Prison Surprise: Brazil's FormerPresident Jair Bolsonaro Faces Time in Prison

He contested the law and justice triumphed.

Sixty days subsequent to being handed a 27-year sentence for attempting to “eradicate” Brazil’s democracy, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro at last looks jail-bound.

Expected Imprisonment

The adjudicated instigator – who has been subject to house arrest in his residence while a number of judicial steps and challenges unfold – is broadly anticipated to be incarcerated in the next few days, during mounting speculation that he will be moved to a well-known maximum security penitentiary.

Past Statements on Prisoners

During Bolsonaro’s 40-year time in politics, the far-right ex- soldier displayed scant sympathy for the country's prison population.

“Why should we provide those scoundrels a good life?” he once pondered. “They deserve to be fucked, full-fucking-stop. That’s what I reckon.”

On another occasion, Bolsonaro declared: “If you don’t want to finish behind bars, all you have to do is not sexual assault, abduction or theft.”

Jail Destination Speculation

Yet the possibility of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda top-security prison in Brasília has horrified supporters, four of whom this week toured the complex in an obvious effort to dissuade the high court from sending him there.

Izalci Lucas, a senator from Bolsonaro’s political party who was one of the visitors, said he expected the elderly figure to be incarcerated in the coming fortnight and feared his location could be Papuda.

He asserted Bolsonaro’s severe intestinal issues – 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 health is very grave. He won’t be able to handle it if they send him to Papuda … It would be terrible,” he added, who also expressed concern about overcrowded cells and the standard of inmate food.

During his tour Papuda, Lucas noted witnessing cells accommodating forty detainees: “It's practically one square meter per inmate.

“We talked to the convicts and they grumble, naturally, of the horrible cuisine,” remarked the senator.

Allies Voice Concerns

Lucas is not the only voice speaking out ahead of the former president’s anticipated detention.

Penning in a major daily, one more backer, the former government official Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “brutal” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” public service and asserted Brazil was about to experience “the biggest unfairness in its past”.

“It represents an unfairness that eats away the hearts of countless people in Brazil,” the former minister said.

Varied Public Reaction

That may be correct due to the considerable following Bolsonaro maintains on the right-wing. Yet his anticipated jailing has also pleased the feelings of many individuals who feel he ought to be imprisoned for planning to prevent the elected leader from taking power – and also conspiring to have him murdered.

The lawmaker, a representative for the incumbent president's allied group, commented: “Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to be put in a dark cell. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to be put in solitary confinement. Nobody wants Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We want him to receive dignified handling – but respectful treatment in prison. He can’t continue being his personal jailer for his entire life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro allies, who have long applauding the severe conditions of inmates, had suddenly become aware to their privileges. “Just now has the conservative fringe – which has consistently asserted that basic rights are not for criminals – decided to visit a prison to find out what conditions are really like,” he remarked.

“He is a criminal,” Otoni insisted, but that did not mean he merited “shameful, demeaning handling”.

Potential Jail Facilities

In spite of talk that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which now contains about 14,000 inmates, his probable destination appears to be a adjacent prison for police officers and other “particular” prisoners called Papudinha (Small Papuda).

Its cells are far more comfortable than those in the primary facility, although nonetheless a far cry from the comfort Bolsonaro enjoyed while residing in the stunning presidential palace, around 12 miles away.

As per reports, the cell Bolsonaro could anticipate occupy in Papudinha measures about 260 square feet – roughly the size of a couple of car spots – and includes a 130 square foot bathroom with a bathing area and a 130 square foot terrace. “Bolsonaro would be allowed to have a set and additionally a cooler in his quarters as long as they were donated by his loved ones,” sources stated.

Ideological Reactions

Senator Lucas criticized the talked-about proposal to send the ex-president to Papuda as “a type of revenge” on the part of the supreme court judge who led Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will determine his future in the {

Denise Levine
Denise Levine

Cybersecurity expert and tech writer specializing in data protection and cloud storage innovations.