Jailhouse Shock: Brazil's Ex-President Bolsonaro Confronts Time in Prison
He battled the legal system and the law triumphed.
Two months following receiving a twenty-seven-year sentence for attempting to “destroy” the nation's democratic institutions, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro now seems headed to prison.
Anticipated Incarceration
The adjudicated coup-monger – who had been under house arrest in his residence while a number of legal procedures and challenges proceed – is widely expected to be incarcerated in the coming days, during growing speculation that he will be moved to a well-known high-security facility.
Historical Statements on Inmates
Throughout Bolsonaro’s long time in politics, the far-right former paratrooper exhibited little sympathy for the country's inmates.
“For what reason must we give those lowlifes a good life?” he previously wondered. “They should just get fucked, period. That’s what I reckon.”
At another time, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “Unless you desire to end up there, the only thing required is to avoid rape, abduction or theft.”
Incarceration Location Speculation
However the idea of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda prison maximum security prison in Brasília has horrified backers, a group of four this week toured the prison in an apparent bid to prevent the supreme court from banishing him there.
Izalci Lucas, a senator from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was among that group, said he anticipated the septuagenarian politician to be imprisoned in the coming fortnight and was concerned his assigned prison could be Papuda.
Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s serious gut ailments – the outcome of a life-threatening assault during the 2018 presidential election race – signified it would be hazardous to keep the former president there. “His [health] situation is extremely serious. He cannot to handle it if they send him to Papuda … It could be awful,” he added, who also worried about packed cells and the quality of prison meals.
When inspecting Papuda, Lucas noted observing cells holding 40 detainees: “That is virtually one square meter per detainee.
“We spoke to the inmates and they complain, unsurprisingly, of the terrible meals,” added the senator.
Allies React
Lucas is not the sole person expressing views before the one-time head of state's expected detention.
Penning in a major newspaper, another ally, the former cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “brutal” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” time in office and alleged Brazil was about to witness “the greatest wrong in its record”.
“This is an unfairness that erodes the hearts of many of Brazilians,” the former minister said.
Divided Public Reaction
It is possibly correct considering the considerable backing Bolsonaro holds on the Brazilian right. Yet his predicted jailing has also gladdened the hearts of millions individuals who believe he ought to be imprisoned for conspiring to stop his successor from taking power – and also scheming to have him killed.
Congressman Otoni, a congressman for the incumbent administration's Workers’ party, commented: “Nobody wants Bolsonaro to be sent in a hole. Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to be put in segregation. No one wishes Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We desire him to obtain respectful care – but proper care in prison. He must not persist being his own prison warden for his lifetime.”
He observed how Bolsonaro backers, who have spent years praising the harsh treatment of inmates, had suddenly become aware to their privileges. “Recently has the conservative fringe – which has consistently claimed that human rights should not be for criminals – chosen to inspect a jail to discover what circumstances are really like,” he stated.
“He is a criminal,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he deserved “shameful, demeaning handling”.
Likely Prison Environment
Regardless of speculation that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which presently houses about thousands of inmates, his more likely location seems to be a close prison for law enforcement and other “special” detainees known as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).
The accommodations are considerably more adequate than those in the main prison, although still a far cry from the luxury Bolsonaro enjoyed while occupying the stunning official residence, about 12 miles away.
According to sources, the room Bolsonaro could likely reside in in Papudinha measures about 260 square feet – approximately the area of vehicle spaces – and features a 12 square meter restroom with a shower and a 12 square meter terrace. “The ex-president might be allowed to have a television and even a small fridge in his room as long as they were supplied by his loved ones,” the report indicated.
Ideological Responses
The lawmaker condemned the speculated proposal to send the former leader to Papuda as “a form of payback” on the part of the supreme court judge who led Bolsonaro’s legal case and will determine his future in the {