Jailhouse Shock: The Ex-President Jair Bolsonaro Confronts Life in Prison

He contested the legal system and justice prevailed.

Two months subsequent to getting a twenty-seven-year sentence for attempting to “annihilate” Brazil’s democracy, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro finally seems jail-bound.

Anticipated Jailing

The adjudicated coup-monger – who's been living under home confinement in his mansion while a number of judicial steps and challenges play out – is largely predicted to be jailed in the next few days, during increasing speculation that he will be transferred to a well-known top-security prison.

Past Statements on Convicts

During Bolsonaro’s four-decade time in politics, the right-wing ex- military man displayed minimal compassion for Brazil’s jailed individuals.

“For what reason must we give those lowlifes a good life?” he once mused. “They should just get screwed, period. That's my view.”

At another time, Bolsonaro declared: “If you don’t want to wind up there, you simply need is to avoid rape, kidnap or rob.”

Jail Facility Discussion

Yet the prospect of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda prison high-security prison in Brasília has appalled allies, several of whom this week toured the prison in an seeming effort to dissuade the judiciary from sending him there.

Senator Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was part of that quartet, said he predicted the elderly politician to be incarcerated in the coming fortnight and worried his location could be Papuda.

He asserted Bolsonaro’s severe gut issues – the outcome of a life-threatening knife attack during the 2018 presidential election race – implied it would be hazardous to keep the former president there. “His condition is very grave. He will not be able to handle it if they take him to Papuda … It would be awful,” he commented, who also worried about packed cells and the quality of jail cuisine.

During his tour Papuda, Lucas noted observing cells accommodating forty inmates: “It's virtually one square meter per detainee.

“We spoke to the prisoners and they grumble, of course, of the terrible food,” added the senator.

Allies Speak Out

Lucas is not the only voice voicing opinions ahead of the former president’s predicted imprisonment.

Writing in a prominent daily, a different supporter, the ex- cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “severe” end to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” time in office and alleged Brazil was about to experience “the largest unfairness in its history”.

“It is an injustice that eats away the hearts of millions of Brazilians,” he stated.

Mixed Popular Opinion

This could be accurate due to the considerable backing Bolsonaro holds on the right-wing. However his predicted incarceration has also warmed the hearts of many others who feel he ought to be jailed for planning to stop the incoming president from taking power – and additionally plotting to have him murdered.

Reimont Otoni, a politician for the current president's political party, said: “Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be put in a dungeon. Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to be put in solitary confinement. Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to lie on concrete. We want him to receive respectful care – but dignified handling while incarcerated. He must not persist being his personal jailer for his lifetime.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro supporters, who have long praising the tough handling of convicts, had suddenly realized to their entitlements. “Only now has the conservative fringe – which has repeatedly claimed that basic rights were not for criminals – decided to visit a prison to find out what situations are truly like,” he stated.

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

Possible Prison Conditions

In spite of speculation that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which currently contains about fourteen thousand prisoners, his expected location looks to be a close jail for law enforcement and other “special” prisoners called Papudinha (Little Papuda).

The accommodations are much more adequate than those in the larger jail, although nevertheless a distant from the comfort Bolsonaro experienced while living in the impressive presidential palace, approximately a short distance away.

As per sources, the room Bolsonaro could expect to occupy in Papudinha has about 260 square feet – about the area of vehicle spaces – and contains a 12 square meter WC with a shower and a 12 sq metre terrace. “He could be allowed to have a TV and even a small fridge in his quarters as long as they were donated by his family,” the report indicated.

Political Reactions

He criticized the speculated plan to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “a form of payback” on the part of the judicial authority who oversaw Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will determine his fate in the {

Margaret Andersen MD
Margaret Andersen MD

A seasoned casino gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in slot machine mechanics and player psychology.