Prison Shock: The Ex-President Bolsonaro Confronts Life in Prison

He fought the law and the legal system won.

A couple of months after being handed a twenty-seven-year sentence for attempting to “destroy” Brazil’s political system, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro at last looks destined for incarceration.

Imminent Jailing

The convicted plotter – who's been living under home confinement in his mansion while a number of legal procedures and petitions unfold – is largely predicted to be jailed in the coming days, during increasing talk that he will be moved to a notorious maximum security prison.

Past Statements on Convicts

Throughout Bolsonaro’s long political career, the far-right former soldier exhibited minimal sympathy for Brazil’s prison population.

“Why should we offer these scoundrels a comfortable existence?” he once mused. “They ought to simply be fucked, full-fucking-stop. That’s what I reckon.”

At another time, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “If you don’t want to wind up there, all you have to do is not rape, kidnap or rob.”

Incarceration Destination Discussion

However the idea of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda prison maximum security prison in Brasília has shocked allies, several of whom this week toured the prison in an apparent effort to prevent the supreme court from banishing him there.

Izalci Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s political party who was among that group, stated he anticipated the septuagenarian politician to be jailed in the following week and a half and feared his location could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s acute gut ailments – the outcome of a life-threatening stabbing during the 2018 presidential political campaign – meant it would be hazardous to keep the one-time head of state there. “His [health] situation is highly critical. He cannot to manage if they send him to Papuda … It could be terrible,” he commented, who also expressed concern about packed cells and the condition of inmate food.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas recalled seeing cells holding four dozen inmates: “It's virtually one square meter per prisoner.

“We talked to the prisoners and they protest, of course, of the terrible meals,” continued the senator.

Allies Voice Concerns

Lucas is not the sole person voicing opinions ahead of the former president’s anticipated detention.

Authoring in a leading publication, a different supporter, the ex- cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “severe” finale to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” time in office and alleged Brazil was about to witness “the largest unfairness in its past”.

“It represents an injustice that gnaws the spirits of millions Brazilian citizens,” the former minister said.

Mixed Public Opinion

This could be true due to the substantial following Bolsonaro retains on the Brazilian right. Yet his anticipated jailing has also gladdened the hearts of many other people who feel he deserves to be incarcerated for plotting to prevent his successor from taking power – and additionally conspiring to have him murdered.

Reimont Otoni, a congressman for the incumbent administration's allied group, commented: “No one desires Bolsonaro to be sent in a dark cell. Nobody wants Bolsonaro to be put in segregation. Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to lie on concrete. We want him to get dignified handling – but dignified care in prison. He can’t carry on being his self-appointed guard for his lifetime.”

He observed how Bolsonaro backers, who have long celebrating the tough treatment of convicts, had abruptly realized to their privileges. “Just now has the extreme right – which has consistently claimed that civil liberties should not be for offenders – decided to visit a prison to find out what conditions are really like,” he said.

“The former president is a lawbreaker,” Otoni insisted, but that did not mean he deserved “humiliating, insulting handling”.

Likely Prison Facilities

Regardless of speculation that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which currently contains about thousands of detainees, his more likely destination seems to be a nearby penitentiary for law enforcement and other “particular” detainees known as Papudinha (Little Papuda).

The accommodations are far more adequate than those in the main prison, although still a far cry from the opulence Bolsonaro had while residing in the spectacular leader's home, about 12 miles away.

According to reports, the accommodation Bolsonaro could expect to reside in in Papudinha measures about 24 sq metres – roughly the area of vehicle spaces – and contains a 12 square meter bathroom with a bathing area and a 130 square foot balcony. “He could be authorized to have a television and even a minibar in his cell as long as they were donated by his family,” sources suggested.

Political Responses

Senator Lucas condemned the rumoured idea to send the ex-president to Papuda as “a type of retaliation” on the part of the judicial authority who led Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will rule on his fate in the {

Sonia Garcia
Sonia Garcia

A passionate gaming enthusiast with over a decade of experience in online slots, dedicated to helping players navigate the world of casino entertainment.