Prison Shock: Brazil's FormerPresident Bolsonaro Faces Life in Prison

He fought the law and the legal system prevailed.

Two months after receiving a quarter-century plus sentence for trying to “eradicate” the nation's democratic institutions, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro now looks headed to prison.

Anticipated Incarceration

The convicted instigator – who's been living under home confinement in his mansion while a set of legal procedures and petitions unfold – is widely expected to be incarcerated in the coming days, amidst increasing speculation that he will be transferred to a well-known maximum security facility.

Historical Remarks on Convicts

During Bolsonaro’s four-decade public life, the right-wing former military man displayed minimal mercy for the country's prison population.

“What’s the need to give those lowlifes a good life?” he once mused. “They should just get messed, period. That’s what I reckon.”

At another time, Bolsonaro declared: “Unless you desire to wind up behind bars, you simply need is not rape, abduction or theft.”

Jail Facility Speculation

But the prospect of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda top-security prison in Brasília has horrified backers, several of whom this week visited the facility in an obvious effort to discourage the high court from transferring him there.

Izalci Lucas, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was one of the visitors, claimed he predicted the septuagenarian figure to be jailed in the following week and a half and feared his destination could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s serious gut issues – the result of a almost deadly knife attack during the 2018 political campaign – implied it would be hazardous to keep the one-time head of state there. “His condition is extremely serious. He will not be able to cope if they take him to Papuda … It could be awful,” said the senator, who also voiced anxiety about packed cells and the standard of jail cuisine.

During his tour Papuda, Lucas recalled observing cells holding four dozen inmates: “That is practically one meter squared per inmate.

“We talked to the prisoners and they protest, naturally, of the horrible meals,” continued the senator.

Supporters Speak Out

Lucas is not the only voice voicing opinions ahead of the former president’s anticipated incarceration.

Authoring in a prominent newspaper, another ally, the former cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “severe” finale to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” political career and claimed Brazil was about to experience “the largest political injustice in its past”.

“It is an injustice that erodes the hearts of many Brazilian citizens,” the former minister said.

Mixed Popular Opinion

It is possibly correct due to the substantial backing Bolsonaro retains on the Brazilian right. Yet his expected jailing has also warmed the hearts of millions others who believe he ought to be incarcerated for plotting to stop the incoming president from assuming office – and additionally scheming to have him killed.

Reimont Otoni, a congressman for the current leader's Workers’ party, said: “Nobody desires Bolsonaro to be sent in a hole. Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be placed in solitary confinement. No one wishes Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We desire him to obtain dignified treatment – but dignified treatment while incarcerated. He can’t carry on being his personal jailer for his whole life.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro supporters, who have spent years applauding the severe handling of inmates, had suddenly woken up to their rights. “Recently has the conservative fringe – which has always argued that civil liberties were not for criminals – opted to tour a jail to discover what situations are truly like,” he remarked.

“He is a offender,” Otoni insisted, but that did not mean he earned “humiliating, demeaning conduct”.

Likely Prison Environment

In spite of talk that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which now houses about 14,000 detainees, his more likely assigned facility appears to be a nearby penitentiary for law enforcement and other “particular” prisoners referred to as Papudinha (Little Papuda).

Its cells are far more pleasant than those in the larger jail, although still a distant from the luxury Bolsonaro experienced while living in the spectacular leader's home, around 12 miles away.

Based on reports, the room Bolsonaro could anticipate inhabit in Papudinha is about 260 square feet – approximately the area of vehicle spaces – and features a 130 square foot bathroom with a water facility and a 12 square meter terrace. “Bolsonaro would be permitted to have a TV and additionally a minibar in his room as long as they were provided by his relatives,” the report indicated.

Partisan Reactions

Senator Lucas condemned the speculated idea to send the ex-president to Papuda as “a type of revenge” on the part of the judicial authority who presided over Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will rule on his outcome in the {

Andrew Moore
Andrew Moore

A financial journalist with over a decade of experience covering global markets and economic policy.