Prison Shock: Brazil's Ex-President Bolsonaro Faces Time in Prison

He contested the law and the legal system triumphed.

A couple of months after getting a 27-year sentence for attempting to “destroy” the nation's political system, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro at last looks headed to prison.

Imminent Incarceration

The adjudicated coup-monger – who had been living under home confinement in his mansion while a series of legal procedures and appeals play out – is widely expected to be jailed in the near future, amidst growing rumors that he will be sent to a well-known high-security penitentiary.

Previous Comments on Prisoners

Throughout Bolsonaro’s 40-year public life, the right-wing former soldier showed little sympathy for Brazil’s jailed individuals.

“What’s the need to offer these scoundrels a comfortable existence?” he once mused. “They should just get fucked, period. That’s what I reckon.”

At another time, Bolsonaro stated: “Unless you desire to end up in prison, all you have to do is to avoid sexual assault, abduction or theft.”

Prison Destination Debate

But the prospect of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda prison high-security prison in Brasília has appalled supporters, four of whom this week toured the facility in an seeming bid to prevent the supreme court from banishing him there.

Izalci Lucas, a senator from Bolsonaro’s political party who was among that group, said he expected the elderly leader to be incarcerated in the next 10 days and was concerned his destination could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s acute digestive issues – the consequence of a near-fatal stabbing during the 2018 election race – meant it would be risky to keep the former president there. “His health is very grave. He cannot to cope if they send him to Papuda … It will be dreadful,” said the senator, who also expressed concern about overcrowded cells and the condition of prison meals.

During his tour Papuda, Lucas recalled seeing cells accommodating four dozen detainees: “It's practically one square meter per inmate.

“We spoke to the convicts and they grumble, unsurprisingly, of the awful cuisine,” continued the senator.

Backers React

He is not the sole person speaking out before the one-time head of state's expected imprisonment.

Writing in a leading newspaper, one more backer, the ex- government official Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “severe” finale to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” political career and alleged Brazil was about to see “the greatest political injustice in its past”.

“It represents an unfairness that eats away the hearts of countless of Brazilians,” the former minister said.

Varied Public Response

That may be accurate due to the significant backing Bolsonaro maintains on the conservative side. However his predicted imprisonment has also pleased the spirits of numerous individuals who believe he should be imprisoned for plotting to block his successor from taking power – and additionally plotting to have him killed.

Congressman Otoni, a representative for the current administration's allied group, said: “Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be placed in a dark cell. No one desires Bolsonaro to be placed in isolation. No one desires Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to lie on concrete. We want him to obtain respectful handling – but respectful care in prison. He cannot continue being his own prison warden for his lifetime.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro allies, who have for a long time praising the tough conditions of inmates, had unexpectedly realized to their entitlements. “Recently has the extreme right – which has consistently claimed that basic rights are not for lawbreakers – decided to tour a prison to discover what situations are actually like,” he said.

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

Likely Jail Facilities

Regardless of rumors that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which now houses about fourteen thousand prisoners, his more likely destination looks to be a nearby prison for officers and other “special” detainees known as Papudinha (Little Papuda).

The accommodations are considerably more adequate than those in the main prison, although nonetheless a distant from the opulence Bolsonaro had while occupying the impressive presidential palace, about 20 kilometers away.

According to sources, the accommodation Bolsonaro could anticipate occupy in Papudinha has about 24 sq metres – approximately the dimensions of two parking spaces – and contains a 130 square foot WC with a water facility and a 12 sq metre balcony. “Bolsonaro would be authorized to have a set and also a minibar in his quarters as long as they were donated by his loved ones,” information stated.

Political Reactions

The lawmaker condemned the talked-about proposal to send the ex-president to Papuda as “an act of retaliation” on the part of the supreme court judge who led Bolsonaro’s legal case and will decide his future in the {

Katelyn Barnes
Katelyn Barnes

Elena is a literary historian and critic with a passion for uncovering hidden narratives in classic works.