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He fought the legal system and the legal system won.

Two months following getting a twenty-seven-year sentence for attempting to “destroy” Brazil’s democratic institutions, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro now appears headed to prison.

Anticipated Imprisonment

The convicted plotter – who had been subject to house arrest in his residence while a series of judicial steps and appeals unfold – is broadly anticipated to be incarcerated in the near future, amidst increasing talk that he will be moved to a notorious high-security penitentiary.

Previous Remarks on Prisoners

Over Bolsonaro’s four-decade public life, the right-wing former paratrooper displayed minimal compassion for Brazil’s jailed individuals.

“For what reason must we provide those lowlifes a comfortable existence?” he previously wondered. “They should just get fucked, period. That's my view.”

In another instance, Bolsonaro declared: “If you don’t want to finish behind bars, you simply need is not sexual assault, abduction or rob.”

Prison Location Debate

But the prospect of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda maximum security prison in Brasília has shocked allies, a group of four this week inspected the prison in an seeming attempt to prevent the high court from transferring him there.

Izalci Lucas, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was one of the visitors, claimed he expected the septuagenarian leader to be imprisoned in the coming fortnight and was concerned his destination could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s severe digestive ailments – the consequence of a near-fatal stabbing during the 2018 presidential election race – signified it would be risky to keep the one-time head of state there. “His [health] situation is extremely serious. He cannot to manage if they move him to Papuda … It will be terrible,” said the senator, who also voiced anxiety about overcrowded cells and the quality of prison meals.

During his tour Papuda, Lucas remembered observing cells containing 40 prisoners: “That’s virtually one square metre per detainee.

“We talked to the convicts and they protest, naturally, of the horrible food,” added the senator.

Backers Voice Concerns

The senator isn't the sole person speaking out ahead of the former president’s expected incarceration.

Authoring in a major daily, a different supporter, the ex- communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “severe” finale to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” public service and alleged Brazil was about to witness “the largest unfairness in its history”.

“It represents an injustice that eats away the souls of many Brazilian citizens,” the former minister said.

Varied Public Response

This could be correct due to the substantial support Bolsonaro holds on the Brazilian right. However his expected jailing has also pleased the hearts of numerous others who believe he should be jailed for planning to block the elected leader from assuming office – and even conspiring to have him murdered.

Congressman Otoni, a politician for the current president's allied group, commented: “No one wants Bolsonaro to be placed in a hole. No one wishes Bolsonaro to be placed in segregation. Nobody desires Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We want him to get dignified treatment – but dignified care in prison. He must not carry on being his personal jailer for his entire life.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro supporters, who have long praising the harsh handling of prisoners, had unexpectedly become aware to their rights. “Recently has the far-right – which has repeatedly asserted that civil liberties were not for lawbreakers – decided to inspect a jail to find out what circumstances are really like,” he remarked.

“The former president is a criminal,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he earned “humiliating, demeaning conduct”.

Potential Prison Environment

In spite of rumors that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which currently contains about fourteen thousand detainees, his expected location looks to be a adjacent penitentiary for police officers and other “particular” prisoners referred to as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

His potential cell are considerably more adequate than those in the primary facility, although nonetheless a far cry from the luxury Bolsonaro had while occupying the stunning official residence, about 20 kilometers away.

According to reports, the cell Bolsonaro could likely inhabit in Papudinha is about 24 square meters – approximately the size of a couple of car spots – and includes a 12 square meter WC with a bathing area and a 12 square meter balcony. “Bolsonaro would be allowed to have a television and also a minibar in his quarters as long as they were provided by his family,” sources stated.

Partisan Responses

Senator Lucas condemned the rumoured plan to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “an act of payback” on the part of the supreme court judge who presided over Bolsonaro’s legal case and will decide his outcome in the {