Jailhouse Shock: Brazil's Ex-President Bolsonaro Faces Time Behind Bars

He fought the law and the law triumphed.

Two months subsequent to getting a 27-year sentence for trying to “destroy” the nation's democratic institutions, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro now seems headed to prison.

Imminent Incarceration

The found-guilty instigator – who's been living under residential detention in his estate while a series of judicial steps and petitions proceed – is broadly anticipated to be jailed in the near future, amidst increasing speculation that he will be moved to a notorious maximum security penitentiary.

Past Remarks on Convicts

Throughout Bolsonaro’s long time in politics, the conservative former paratrooper displayed scant sympathy for the country's jailed individuals.

“What’s the need to give these dirtbags a easy time?” he previously wondered. “They should just get fucked, full-fucking-stop. That's my view.”

On another occasion, Bolsonaro declared: “If you don’t want to end up behind bars, you simply need is not sexual assault, kidnap or theft.”

Jail Destination Speculation

But the idea of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda high-security prison in Brasília has appalled supporters, several of whom this week toured the prison in an apparent attempt to prevent the supreme court from banishing him there.

The senator, a politician from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was among that group, claimed he predicted the septuagenarian leader to be incarcerated in the following week and a half and was concerned his destination could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s acute digestive ailments – the outcome of a life-threatening assault during the last political campaign – meant it would be dangerous to keep the ex-leader there. “His health is highly critical. He cannot to cope if they move him to Papuda … It could be terrible,” he added, who also expressed concern about overcrowded cells and the quality of inmate food.

During his tour Papuda, Lucas recalled seeing cells containing four dozen detainees: “That’s practically one square metre per inmate.

“We spoke to the convicts and they protest, of course, of the awful food,” remarked the senator.

Supporters Speak Out

The senator isn't the only voice speaking out ahead of the former president’s anticipated imprisonment.

Writing in a prominent newspaper, another ally, the former government official Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “severe” finale to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” time in office and alleged Brazil was about to see “the largest unfairness in its record”.

“It represents an wrong that erodes the spirits of many people in Brazil,” he stated.

Varied Public Reaction

This could be accurate considering the considerable support Bolsonaro maintains on the Brazilian right. However his anticipated imprisonment has also gladdened the hearts of numerous other people who feel he should be jailed for planning to prevent his successor from becoming president – and even plotting to have him murdered.

Reimont Otoni, a representative for the incumbent leader's allied group, commented: “No one wishes Bolsonaro to be put in a hole. No one desires Bolsonaro to be sent in isolation. No one wishes Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We want him to receive respectful handling – but dignified care while incarcerated. He must not continue being his personal jailer for his whole life.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro allies, who have for a long time applauding the tough handling of inmates, had unexpectedly woken up to their privileges. “Only now has the extreme right – which has always argued that civil liberties are not for criminals – decided to inspect a penitentiary to discover what conditions are truly like,” he said.

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

Potential Prison Facilities

Despite talk that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which now contains about fourteen thousand inmates, his probable location looks to be a close prison for police officers and other “special” prisoners known as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

The accommodations are much more pleasant than those in the larger jail, although still a far cry from the opulence Bolsonaro enjoyed while residing in the impressive leader's home, approximately 12 miles away.

According to sources, the accommodation Bolsonaro could expect to reside in in Papudinha has about 260 square feet – about the dimensions of a couple of car spots – and features a 130 square foot WC with a shower and a 12 sq metre veranda. “The ex-president might be permitted to have a set and also a minibar in his room as long as they were provided by his relatives,” sources indicated.

Partisan Comments

He condemned the talked-about plan to send the ex-president to Papuda as “a form of retaliation” on the part of the judicial authority who oversaw Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will determine his fate in the {

Daniel Carpenter
Daniel Carpenter

A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in slot machine mechanics and player psychology, specializing in strategy development.