Jailhouse Surprise: Brazil's Ex-President Bolsonaro Confronts Life in Prison
He fought the law and justice prevailed.
A couple of months subsequent to getting a 27-year sentence for seeking to “eradicate” the nation's political system, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro finally looks headed to prison.
Expected Imprisonment
The convicted instigator – who has been subject to residential detention in his residence while a number of court processes and petitions play out – is broadly anticipated to be incarcerated in the coming days, amidst growing rumors that he will be sent to a infamous top-security prison.
Past Statements on Inmates
During Bolsonaro’s 40-year political career, the right-wing ex- paratrooper displayed scant sympathy for Brazil’s inmates.
“Why should we provide those lowlifes a good life?” he once pondered. “They ought to simply be fucked, period. That's my opinion.”
At another time, Bolsonaro declared: “Unless you desire to end up behind bars, you simply need is not sexual assault, abduction or theft.”
Incarceration Destination Discussion
Yet the possibility of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda top-security prison in Brasília has horrified supporters, several of whom this week toured the facility in an apparent effort to dissuade the high court from transferring him there.
Senator Lucas, a senator from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was among that group, stated he anticipated the septuagenarian leader to be incarcerated in the next 10 days and worried his assigned prison could be Papuda.
He asserted Bolsonaro’s serious gut ailments – the outcome of a near-fatal stabbing during the 2018 presidential political campaign – signified it would be dangerous to keep the one-time head of state there. “His condition is very grave. He will not be able to handle it if they move him to Papuda … It will be awful,” said the senator, who also worried about packed cells and the quality of inmate food.
When inspecting Papuda, Lucas recalled seeing cells containing 40 inmates: “That is practically one square meter per prisoner.
“We spoke to the inmates and they grumble, unsurprisingly, of the terrible meals,” continued the senator.
Supporters React
The senator isn't the lone figure voicing opinions before the ex-leader's predicted imprisonment.
Authoring in a prominent newspaper, a different supporter, the former government official Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “harsh” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” political career and asserted Brazil was about to witness “the largest unfairness in its past”.
“This is an unfairness that erodes the souls of countless Brazilian citizens,” he stated.
Mixed General Opinion
This could be true given the considerable following Bolsonaro maintains on the conservative side. But his predicted jailing has also warmed the hearts of many others who believe he should be incarcerated for conspiring to prevent his successor from taking power – and additionally conspiring to have him killed.
Congressman Otoni, a representative for the current president's allied group, commented: “No one wishes Bolsonaro to be sent in a dungeon. Nobody wants Bolsonaro to be put in segregation. No one wants Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We desire him to get respectful care – but proper handling in prison. He cannot persist being his own prison warden for his entire life.”
The congressman noted how Bolsonaro allies, who have for a long time celebrating the harsh handling of inmates, had abruptly realized to their rights. “Only now has the far-right – which has always argued that human rights are not for lawbreakers – decided to tour a jail to find out what circumstances are actually like,” he stated.
“The former president is a criminal,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he earned “shameful, degrading treatment”.
Possible Jail Facilities
Regardless of rumors that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which now contains about fourteen thousand inmates, his more likely location appears to be a nearby penitentiary for officers and other “particular” prisoners called Papudinha (Minor Papuda).
His potential cell are much more pleasant than those in the main prison, although still a far cry from the comfort Bolsonaro enjoyed while living in the spectacular presidential palace, approximately a short distance away.
According to reports, the cell Bolsonaro could expect to occupy in Papudinha is about 24 square meters – about the dimensions of vehicle spaces – and includes a 12 square meter restroom with a bathing area and a 130 square foot balcony. “He could be allowed to have a set and also a minibar in his cell as long as they were provided by his family,” sources suggested.
Political Comments
Senator Lucas denounced the rumoured idea to send the ex-president to Papuda as “a type of revenge” on the part of the judicial authority who oversaw Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will decide his fate in the {