Prison Surprise: Brazil's FormerPresident Bolsonaro Faces Time Behind Bars

He contested the legal system and the legal system prevailed.

A couple of months after receiving a quarter-century plus sentence for trying to “eradicate” the nation's democracy, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro at last seems jail-bound.

Imminent Imprisonment

The adjudicated instigator – who's been subject to residential detention in his residence while a set of court processes and petitions proceed – is widely expected to be incarcerated in the next few days, amidst growing speculation that he will be transferred to a notorious maximum security prison.

Previous Remarks on Convicts

Over Bolsonaro’s 40-year public life, the far-right former military man showed minimal mercy for the country's inmates.

“Why should we provide these lowlifes a easy time?” he once pondered. “They should just get screwed, end of story. That's my view.”

At another time, Bolsonaro stated: “Should you not wish to finish there, you simply need is to avoid sexual assault, kidnap or theft.”

Jail Facility Debate

Yet the possibility of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda maximum security prison in Brasília has appalled allies, four of whom this week inspected the prison in an apparent bid to discourage the judiciary from banishing him there.

Senator Lucas, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was one of the visitors, said he expected the elderly leader to be imprisoned in the following week and a half and was concerned his location could be Papuda.

He asserted Bolsonaro’s severe digestive problems – the consequence of a near-fatal knife attack during the last presidential campaign – signified it would be risky to keep the former president there. “His health is highly critical. He cannot to handle it if they take him to Papuda … It would be awful,” said the senator, who also expressed concern about overcrowded cells and the quality of jail cuisine.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas remembered witnessing cells containing 40 detainees: “That is almost one square meter per detainee.

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

Allies Voice Concerns

The senator isn't the lone figure speaking out before the one-time head of state's predicted incarceration.

Penning in a leading newspaper, a different supporter, the ex- government official Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “severe” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” public service and alleged Brazil was about to experience “the greatest wrong in its history”.

“This is an unfairness that eats away the hearts of many Brazilian citizens,” he stated.

Divided General Reaction

This could be true given the considerable backing Bolsonaro holds on the conservative side. But his anticipated incarceration has also gladdened the feelings of many others who believe he ought to be jailed for planning to stop the incoming president from becoming president – and additionally conspiring to have him murdered.

Congressman Otoni, a congressman for the incumbent leader's Workers’ party, said: “Nobody wants Bolsonaro to be sent in a dark cell. Nobody wants Bolsonaro to be placed in segregation. Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We want him to obtain dignified treatment – but proper treatment behind bars. He must not continue being his self-appointed guard for his entire life.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro backers, who have long celebrating the harsh conditions of prisoners, had suddenly realized to their entitlements. “Just now has the far-right – which has consistently asserted that civil liberties were not for lawbreakers – opted to inspect a prison to find out what situations are truly like,” he said.

“Bolsonaro is a criminal,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he merited “humiliating, insulting handling”.

Potential Prison Facilities

Regardless of speculation that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which currently contains about 14,000 inmates, his probable location appears to be a adjacent jail for officers and other “particular” prisoners referred to as Papudinha (Little Papuda).

His potential cell are much more pleasant than those in the larger jail, although nevertheless a distant from the comfort Bolsonaro experienced while occupying the impressive presidential palace, about 20 kilometers away.

As per reports, the room Bolsonaro could expect to occupy in Papudinha is about 260 square feet – approximately the dimensions of vehicle spaces – and contains a 12 square meter restroom with a bathing area and a 12 sq metre terrace. “Bolsonaro would be authorized to have a television and even a small fridge in his cell as long as they were donated by his loved ones,” the report indicated.

Ideological Responses

The lawmaker criticized the rumoured idea to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “an act of revenge” on the part of the supreme court judge who led Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will decide his outcome in the {

Joseph Harris
Joseph Harris

A film critic and entertainment journalist with over a decade of experience covering Hollywood and indie cinema.