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He contested justice and the law won.

A couple of months following being handed a quarter-century plus sentence for seeking to “eradicate” Brazil’s democratic institutions, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro now appears headed to prison.

Imminent Incarceration

The found-guilty coup-monger – who had been under home confinement in his residence while a number of court processes and petitions proceed – is broadly anticipated to be imprisoned in the near future, amidst growing talk that he will be transferred to a notorious high-security penitentiary.

Past Statements on Inmates

Throughout Bolsonaro’s 40-year public life, the far-right ex- soldier exhibited little mercy for Brazil’s jailed individuals.

“What’s the need to give these scoundrels a comfortable existence?” he previously wondered. “They ought to simply be fucked, end of story. That's my view.”

At another time, Bolsonaro stated: “If you don’t want to wind up there, all you have to do is not sexual assault, kidnap or theft.”

Prison Destination Speculation

But the prospect of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda prison high-security prison in Brasília has horrified backers, four of whom this week inspected the facility in an apparent attempt to discourage the high court from transferring him there.

Senator Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s political party who was part of that quartet, stated he anticipated the septuagenarian politician to be jailed in the next 10 days and was concerned his destination could be Papuda.

He asserted Bolsonaro’s serious intestinal ailments – the consequence of a life-threatening knife attack during the 2018 presidential campaign – meant it would be dangerous to keep the former president there. “His health is very grave. He cannot to handle it if they move him to Papuda … It could be awful,” he commented, who also voiced anxiety about packed cells and the condition of jail cuisine.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas remembered seeing cells holding four dozen inmates: “That’s practically one square metre per inmate.

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

Allies Speak Out

The senator isn't the lone figure speaking out before the former president’s anticipated incarceration.

Authoring in a major publication, another ally, the ex- government official Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “brutal” finale to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” time in office and alleged Brazil was about to see “the greatest wrong in its history”.

“It represents an unfairness that erodes the hearts of countless Brazilian citizens,” the former minister said.

Divided Public Response

This could be correct considering the significant backing Bolsonaro holds on the conservative side. Yet his expected imprisonment has also warmed the spirits of millions other people who think he ought to be jailed for conspiring to block the elected leader from taking power – and also scheming to have him killed.

The lawmaker, a politician for the incumbent leader's allied group, said: “Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to be sent in a dark cell. Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to be sent in solitary confinement. Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We wish him to get proper treatment – but dignified handling in prison. He cannot continue being his personal jailer for his whole life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro backers, who have for a long time celebrating the harsh conditions of prisoners, had suddenly become aware to their privileges. “Only now has the extreme right – which has repeatedly claimed that human rights are not for offenders – decided to tour a penitentiary to discover what situations are really like,” he remarked.

“The former president is a lawbreaker,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he deserved “humiliating, degrading conduct”.

Possible Prison Environment

Despite speculation that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which now contains about 14,000 inmates, his probable location appears to be a adjacent penitentiary for law enforcement and other “unique” prisoners referred to as Papudinha (Little Papuda).

The accommodations are far more adequate than those in the larger jail, although nevertheless a far cry from the opulence Bolsonaro experienced while living in the stunning official residence, around 12 miles away.

Based on sources, the cell Bolsonaro could expect to inhabit in Papudinha is about 24 sq metres – approximately the dimensions of a couple of car spots – and contains a 12 sq metre restroom with a bathing area and a 12 square meter balcony. “Bolsonaro would be allowed to have a TV and additionally a cooler in his cell as long as they were donated by his relatives,” sources indicated.

Ideological Responses

Senator Lucas denounced the rumoured proposal to send the former leader to Papuda as “a type of revenge” on the part of the presiding magistrate who oversaw Bolsonaro’s legal case and will decide his fate in the {