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He fought the legal system and justice won.

Sixty days following being handed a twenty-seven-year sentence for trying to “eradicate” the nation's democratic institutions, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro at last seems destined for incarceration.

Imminent Jailing

The adjudicated instigator – who has been subject to residential detention in his mansion while a set of court processes and challenges unfold – is widely expected to be imprisoned in the coming days, during mounting speculation that he will be sent to a infamous maximum security prison.

Historical Remarks on Convicts

During Bolsonaro’s four-decade political career, the conservative former military man exhibited scant compassion for Brazil’s prison population.

“For what reason must we provide these scoundrels a good life?” he previously wondered. “They deserve to be screwed, full-fucking-stop. That's my opinion.”

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 rob.”

Prison Location Discussion

Yet the possibility of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda prison maximum security prison in Brasília has shocked allies, four of whom this week toured the prison in an apparent attempt to prevent the supreme court from transferring him there.

Izalci Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was part of that quartet, stated he predicted the elderly leader to be incarcerated in the following week and a half and was concerned his assigned prison could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s severe digestive issues – the outcome of a near-fatal knife attack during the 2018 presidential campaign – meant it would be risky to keep the one-time head of state there. “His [health] situation is highly critical. He will not be able to handle it if they send him to Papuda … It will be awful,” said the senator, who also voiced anxiety about overcrowded cells and the standard of prison meals.

During his tour Papuda, Lucas noted observing cells accommodating forty detainees: “That is virtually one square meter per detainee.

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

Supporters Speak Out

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

Penning in a major newspaper, a different supporter, the ex- government official Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “brutal” end to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” time in office and asserted Brazil was about to see “the biggest wrong in its history”.

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

Divided General Opinion

It is possibly correct considering the significant following Bolsonaro holds on the Brazilian right. But his expected incarceration has also gladdened the spirits of many others who feel he ought to be jailed for conspiring to prevent the incoming president from taking power – and additionally plotting to have him murdered.

The lawmaker, a congressman for the current leader's political party, commented: “Nobody desires Bolsonaro to be placed in a hole. No one wishes Bolsonaro to be put in solitary confinement. No one desires Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to lie on concrete. We want him to get respectful handling – but respectful treatment behind bars. He must not continue being his self-appointed guard for his lifetime.”

He observed how Bolsonaro backers, who have spent years praising the tough treatment of inmates, had unexpectedly become aware to their rights. “Only now has the conservative fringe – which has always claimed that civil liberties are not for criminals – opted to visit a jail to find out what situations are truly like,” he said.

“Bolsonaro is a offender,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he earned “degrading, demeaning conduct”.

Potential Prison Conditions

Despite speculation that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which presently holds about 14,000 prisoners, his expected location seems to be a close prison for officers and other “unique” inmates referred to as Papudinha (Small Papuda).

The accommodations are far more adequate than those in the main prison, although nonetheless a far cry from the comfort Bolsonaro had while occupying the stunning official residence, around 20 kilometers away.

Based on reports, the accommodation Bolsonaro could anticipate occupy in Papudinha has about 24 sq metres – roughly the dimensions of a couple of car spots – and includes a 12 sq metre WC with a water facility and a 130 square foot balcony. “Bolsonaro would be authorized to have a television and even a minibar in his room as long as they were provided by his relatives,” the report suggested.

Political Comments

Senator Lucas condemned the rumoured idea to send the ex-president to Papuda as “a form of revenge” on the part of the presiding magistrate who oversaw Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will rule on his fate in the {