Jailhouse Surprise: Brazil's Ex-President Jair Bolsonaro Faces Life Behind Bars

He fought justice and the law prevailed.

Sixty days following receiving a 27-year sentence for trying to “destroy” Brazil’s democracy, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro now looks destined for incarceration.

Expected Incarceration

The found-guilty coup-monger – who's been living under house arrest in his mansion while a series of court processes and challenges play out – is widely expected to be incarcerated in the near future, amidst mounting rumors that he will be moved to a well-known maximum security penitentiary.

Historical Statements on Convicts

Over Bolsonaro’s 40-year political career, the right-wing former soldier showed minimal compassion for the country's prison population.

“What’s the need to offer these dirtbags a good life?” he previously wondered. “They ought to simply be screwed, end of story. That’s what I reckon.”

On another occasion, Bolsonaro stated: “If you don’t want to end up there, you simply need is not rape, kidnap or rob.”

Prison Destination Discussion

Yet the idea of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda maximum security prison in Brasília has horrified backers, four of whom this week inspected the facility in an obvious bid to discourage the supreme court from sending him there.

The senator, a politician from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was part of that quartet, stated he expected the elderly leader to be incarcerated in the following week and a half and was concerned his assigned prison could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s acute intestinal issues – the outcome of a life-threatening assault during the 2018 political campaign – implied it would be dangerous to keep the former president there. “His condition is extremely serious. He won’t be able to cope if they send him to Papuda … It would be dreadful,” he commented, who also expressed concern about packed cells and the quality of jail cuisine.

During his tour Papuda, Lucas noted witnessing cells containing forty detainees: “It's practically one meter squared per prisoner.

“We spoke to the prisoners and they complain, unsurprisingly, of the terrible meals,” continued the senator.

Supporters React

He is not the only voice expressing views ahead of the one-time head of state's anticipated detention.

Authoring in a leading publication, one more backer, the former cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “harsh” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” political career and claimed Brazil was about to see “the largest unfairness in its history”.

“It is an unfairness that erodes the hearts of many of Brazilians,” the former minister said.

Varied General Opinion

It is possibly true considering the significant backing Bolsonaro holds on the Brazilian right. Yet his predicted incarceration has also warmed the feelings of millions individuals who think he ought to be jailed for plotting to stop the incoming president from assuming office – and also plotting to have him murdered.

Reimont Otoni, a politician for the current president's Workers’ party, commented: “No one desires Bolsonaro to be placed in a dark cell. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to be placed in segregation. No one wants Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to lie on concrete. We wish him to get proper handling – but dignified care in prison. He can’t persist being his own prison warden for his lifetime.”

He observed how Bolsonaro backers, who have long celebrating the severe treatment of inmates, had unexpectedly realized to their rights. “Recently has the far-right – which has consistently asserted that human rights are not for criminals – chosen to tour a prison to find out what conditions are actually like,” he stated.

“Bolsonaro is a lawbreaker,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he earned “degrading, insulting handling”.

Possible Jail Environment

Regardless of talk that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which presently holds about 14,000 detainees, his probable assigned facility appears to be a nearby penitentiary for officers and other “special” detainees known as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

His potential cell are much more adequate than those in the main prison, although still a distant from the opulence Bolsonaro enjoyed while occupying the spectacular official residence, around 12 miles away.

According to reports, the accommodation Bolsonaro could anticipate inhabit in Papudinha has about 24 sq metres – about the dimensions of a couple of car spots – and includes a 12 sq metre bathroom with a shower and a 12 sq metre terrace. “He could be allowed to have a set and even a minibar in his room as long as they were provided by his relatives,” sources indicated.

Political Comments

Senator Lucas condemned the speculated proposal to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “a form of revenge” on the part of the presiding magistrate who presided over Bolsonaro’s legal case and will determine his outcome in the {

Kathryn Valdez
Kathryn Valdez

A tech journalist with over a decade of experience covering digital innovations and consumer electronics.