Jailhouse Shock: The FormerPresident Bolsonaro Confronts Life Behind Bars

He fought the legal system and justice triumphed.

Sixty days subsequent to receiving a twenty-seven-year sentence for seeking to “destroy” the nation's political system, former president Jair Bolsonaro at last looks destined for incarceration.

Expected Imprisonment

The adjudicated coup-monger – who has been living under home confinement in his residence while a number of legal procedures and petitions unfold – is largely predicted to be jailed in the coming days, amidst increasing rumors that he will be transferred to a notorious maximum security prison.

Historical Comments on Inmates

During Bolsonaro’s long political career, the far-right former soldier showed little sympathy for the country's prison population.

“For what reason must we offer these dirtbags a easy time?” he once mused. “They deserve to be screwed, end of story. That's my view.”

On another occasion, Bolsonaro declared: “Unless you desire to wind up there, all you have to do is not sexual assault, kidnap or rob.”

Incarceration Destination Speculation

But the prospect of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda prison high-security prison in Brasília has horrified allies, four of whom this week inspected the complex in an obvious attempt to prevent the supreme court from transferring him there.

Izalci Lucas, a senator from Bolsonaro’s political party who was one of the visitors, claimed he predicted the septuagenarian leader to be incarcerated in the next 10 days and worried his location could be Papuda.

He asserted Bolsonaro’s acute intestinal problems – the consequence of a life-threatening knife attack during the last presidential campaign – signified it would be risky to keep the ex-leader there. “His [health] situation is very grave. He cannot to handle it if they take him to Papuda … It will be terrible,” he commented, who also voiced anxiety about packed cells and the condition of jail cuisine.

During his tour Papuda, Lucas recalled observing cells holding 40 inmates: “That is almost one meter squared per prisoner.

“We talked to the prisoners and they complain, naturally, of the terrible food,” remarked the senator.

Allies Speak Out

Lucas is not the lone figure speaking out before the former president’s anticipated incarceration.

Penning in a prominent daily, a different supporter, the ex- government official Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “severe” end to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” time in office and claimed Brazil was about to experience “the greatest unfairness in its record”.

“This is an unfairness that eats away the hearts of countless people in Brazil,” Wajngarten wrote.

Divided Popular Reaction

That may be true considering the considerable support Bolsonaro holds on the right-wing. But his anticipated imprisonment has also pleased the feelings of many other people who think he ought to be imprisoned for planning to stop his successor from assuming office – and even plotting to have him murdered.

The lawmaker, a politician for the incumbent president's political party, stated: “Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to be put in a dungeon. No one wishes Bolsonaro to be sent in segregation. No one wants Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We wish him to get respectful treatment – but proper care while incarcerated. He cannot carry on being his self-appointed guard for his whole life.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro backers, who have spent years praising the severe conditions of inmates, had unexpectedly realized to their rights. “Recently has the far-right – which has always asserted that basic rights should not be for offenders – chosen to inspect a jail to find out what situations are truly like,” he stated.

“He is a offender,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he merited “shameful, demeaning handling”.

Possible Prison Facilities

Despite speculation that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which presently contains about 14,000 detainees, his expected destination appears to be a close jail for officers and other “unique” detainees referred to as Papudinha (Small Papuda).

Its cells are considerably more pleasant than those in the primary facility, although nevertheless a far cry from the luxury Bolsonaro experienced while residing in the impressive presidential palace, about 12 miles away.

Based on sources, the accommodation Bolsonaro could likely occupy in Papudinha has about 260 square feet – approximately the dimensions of vehicle spaces – and includes a 12 sq metre WC with a shower and a 130 square foot terrace. “The ex-president might be permitted to have a television and also a minibar in his room as long as they were provided by his loved ones,” information suggested.

Ideological Responses

Senator Lucas criticized the talked-about idea to send the former leader to Papuda as “a type of retaliation” on the part of the presiding magistrate who presided over Bolsonaro’s legal case and will determine his fate in the {

Elizabeth Murray
Elizabeth Murray

Wildlife biologist and photographer specializing in sloth conservation, with over a decade of field experience in Central and South America.