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He battled justice and the legal system won.

Sixty days subsequent to receiving a quarter-century plus sentence for trying to “eradicate” Brazil’s democracy, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro finally looks jail-bound.

Imminent Imprisonment

The adjudicated plotter – who has been under house arrest in his residence while a series of legal procedures and challenges unfold – is largely predicted to be imprisoned in the near future, during mounting rumors that he will be transferred to a infamous maximum security prison.

Previous Statements on Inmates

Over Bolsonaro’s four-decade political career, the far-right former soldier showed little sympathy for Brazil’s inmates.

“Why should we provide those dirtbags a easy time?” he once pondered. “They deserve to be screwed, end of story. That’s what I reckon.”

On another occasion, Bolsonaro stated: “If you don’t want to wind up in prison, the only thing required is not rape, kidnap or rob.”

Prison Destination Speculation

But the possibility of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda prison high-security prison in Brasília has shocked allies, four of whom this week visited the prison in an obvious attempt to prevent the judiciary from transferring him there.

The senator, a politician from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was part of that quartet, stated he predicted the elderly leader to be imprisoned in the following week and a half and was concerned his destination could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s severe intestinal issues – the result of a near-fatal knife attack during the 2018 presidential presidential campaign – meant it would be hazardous to keep the ex-leader there. “His health is very grave. He will not be able to manage if they send him to Papuda … It would be dreadful,” he commented, who also expressed concern about overcrowded cells and the condition of jail cuisine.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas noted seeing cells holding forty prisoners: “That is practically one square meter per inmate.

“We conversed to the prisoners and they grumble, unsurprisingly, of the terrible meals,” continued the senator.

Supporters React

He is not the lone figure expressing views before the former president’s anticipated imprisonment.

Penning in a leading daily, another ally, the former cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “severe” finale to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” public service and alleged Brazil was about to see “the biggest unfairness in its record”.

“It represents an wrong that erodes the souls of countless of Brazilians,” the former minister said.

Divided Popular Opinion

This could be accurate given the substantial following Bolsonaro holds on the right-wing. But his expected jailing has also gladdened the feelings of millions others who believe he deserves to be incarcerated for conspiring to prevent the incoming president from becoming president – and additionally conspiring to have him killed.

The lawmaker, a representative for the current administration's Workers’ party, commented: “Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be sent in a hole. Nobody desires Bolsonaro to be put in segregation. Nobody desires Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We wish him to obtain respectful handling – but respectful care while incarcerated. He cannot continue being his personal jailer for his entire life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro supporters, who have spent years praising the tough conditions of convicts, had abruptly become aware to their rights. “Just now has the far-right – which has consistently asserted that human rights were not for offenders – decided to inspect a prison to learn what conditions are really like,” he remarked.

“Bolsonaro is a offender,” Otoni insisted, but that did not mean he deserved “shameful, demeaning handling”.

Possible Prison Facilities

Despite rumors that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which now houses about fourteen thousand detainees, his expected assigned facility appears to be a nearby jail for law enforcement and other “special” inmates known as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

Its cells are much more adequate than those in the larger jail, although still a far cry from the luxury Bolsonaro experienced while living in the stunning leader's home, around a short distance away.

According to reports, the accommodation Bolsonaro could likely inhabit in Papudinha has about 24 square meters – about the area of two parking spaces – and features a 130 square foot bathroom with a water facility and a 12 sq metre terrace. “He could be allowed to have a TV and also a cooler in his cell as long as they were provided by his family,” the report suggested.

Political Responses

Senator Lucas denounced the rumoured plan to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “a form of retaliation” on the part of the judicial authority who presided over Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will determine his fate in the {