Jailhouse Surprise: Brazil's FormerPresident Jair Bolsonaro Confronts Life Behind Bars

He contested the legal system and the law won.

Two months after receiving a 27-year sentence for attempting to “destroy” the nation's democracy, former president Jair Bolsonaro now looks headed to prison.

Imminent Incarceration

The adjudicated instigator – who's been living under residential detention in his estate while a number of court processes and appeals play out – is largely predicted to be jailed in the near future, during mounting rumors that he will be transferred to a infamous high-security penitentiary.

Past Statements on Prisoners

Throughout Bolsonaro’s 40-year political career, the far-right former military man showed minimal compassion for the country's inmates.

“For what reason must we provide these lowlifes a comfortable existence?” he previously wondered. “They ought to simply be messed, end of story. That’s what I reckon.”

At another time, Bolsonaro declared: “If you don’t want to wind up in prison, the only thing required is not sexual assault, abduction or rob.”

Prison Location Speculation

Yet the possibility of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda prison maximum security prison in Brasília has shocked allies, several of whom this week toured the facility in an apparent bid to prevent the high court from sending him there.

Senator Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was among that group, stated he predicted the septuagenarian figure to be incarcerated in the coming fortnight and was concerned his destination could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s acute gut ailments – the consequence of a life-threatening stabbing during the 2018 political campaign – signified it would be risky to keep the one-time head of state there. “His [health] situation is highly critical. He won’t be able to cope if they send him to Papuda … It would be awful,” he commented, who also voiced anxiety about overcrowded cells and the standard of jail cuisine.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas noted observing cells containing 40 prisoners: “That is almost one square metre per detainee.

“We spoke to the prisoners and they grumble, naturally, of the horrible food,” remarked the senator.

Allies Speak Out

Lucas is not the lone figure expressing views prior to the one-time head of state's expected imprisonment.

Penning in a prominent newspaper, one more backer, the ex- communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “harsh” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” time in office and claimed Brazil was about to witness “the biggest wrong in its past”.

“It is an unfairness that eats away the souls of many people in Brazil,” the former minister said.

Divided Popular Opinion

This could be accurate due to the significant backing Bolsonaro holds on the conservative side. Yet his predicted incarceration has also warmed the hearts of many other people who believe he should be incarcerated for plotting to prevent the incoming president from taking power – and even scheming to have him murdered.

Congressman Otoni, a representative for the sitting president's political party, commented: “No one wants Bolsonaro to be sent in a dungeon. Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to be placed in solitary confinement. Nobody desires Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to lie on concrete. We want him to get proper care – but proper handling while incarcerated. He cannot persist being his self-appointed guard for his entire life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro allies, who have for a long time praising the tough treatment of prisoners, had suddenly woken up to their entitlements. “Just now has the far-right – which has repeatedly asserted that human rights were not for offenders – decided to visit a jail to learn what situations are really like,” he stated.

“Bolsonaro is a lawbreaker,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he merited “degrading, demeaning treatment”.

Potential Jail Conditions

In spite of rumors that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which now houses about 14,000 detainees, his expected destination seems to be a adjacent jail for officers and other “special” detainees known as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

Its cells are much more pleasant than those in the primary facility, although still a world away from the opulence Bolsonaro enjoyed while living in the impressive leader's home, around 20 kilometers away.

Based on sources, the cell Bolsonaro could anticipate inhabit in Papudinha measures about 260 square feet – approximately the area of a couple of car spots – and includes a 12 square meter restroom with a water facility and a 12 square meter terrace. “He could be authorized to have a TV and also a minibar in his room as long as they were supplied by his family,” information suggested.

Ideological Reactions

He condemned the rumoured idea to send the former leader to Papuda as “a form of retaliation” on the part of the supreme court judge who presided over Bolsonaro’s legal case and will determine his fate in the {

Veronica Grant
Veronica Grant

A cultural anthropologist and travel writer specializing in Nordic regions, with a passion for documenting local traditions and modern innovations.