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He contested the law and justice won.

A couple of months following getting a quarter-century plus sentence for trying to “annihilate” Brazil’s political system, former president Jair Bolsonaro at last looks jail-bound.

Anticipated Imprisonment

The convicted coup-monger – who has been under home confinement in his estate while a set of legal procedures and appeals play out – is widely expected to be imprisoned in the coming days, during increasing speculation that he will be sent to a notorious high-security penitentiary.

Past Remarks on Prisoners

During Bolsonaro’s 40-year political career, the right-wing ex- soldier exhibited scant mercy for the country's jailed individuals.

“For what reason must we provide those scoundrels a good life?” he once pondered. “They should just get messed, end of story. That's my view.”

In another instance, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “If you don’t want to end up in prison, all you have to do is to avoid sexual assault, abduction or theft.”

Jail Facility Speculation

But the prospect of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda maximum security prison in Brasília has shocked supporters, several of whom this week toured the complex in an obvious effort to prevent the judiciary from transferring him there.

Izalci Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was part of that quartet, claimed he expected the elderly leader to be imprisoned in the next 10 days and feared his destination could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s severe intestinal problems – the result of a near-fatal knife attack during the 2018 presidential political campaign – signified it would be risky to keep the one-time head of state there. “His health is highly critical. He won’t be able to handle it if they take him to Papuda … It would be dreadful,” said the senator, who also voiced anxiety about packed cells and the condition of prison meals.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas recalled seeing cells containing forty prisoners: “That is practically one square meter per detainee.

“We spoke to the prisoners and they grumble, of course, of the horrible food,” continued the senator.

Supporters Voice Concerns

Lucas is not the lone figure voicing opinions ahead of the one-time head of state's anticipated detention.

Authoring in a prominent publication, a different supporter, the ex- government official Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “harsh” finale to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” time in office and claimed Brazil was about to experience “the greatest unfairness in its record”.

“It represents an wrong that eats away the souls of countless Brazilian citizens,” he stated.

Divided Public Response

This could be accurate considering the considerable following Bolsonaro holds on the conservative side. Yet his anticipated jailing has also pleased the hearts of many other people who feel he should be imprisoned for planning to block the incoming president from assuming office – and also conspiring to have him killed.

Congressman Otoni, a representative for the current leader's political party, said: “Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be placed in a dungeon. Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be placed in isolation. Not a soul wants Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We wish him to obtain dignified treatment – but dignified care behind bars. He can’t continue being his own prison warden for his whole life.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro supporters, who have spent years applauding the harsh handling of convicts, had unexpectedly realized to their privileges. “Only now has the far-right – which has repeatedly argued that civil liberties were not for offenders – opted to visit a jail to discover what circumstances are truly like,” he stated.

“He is a lawbreaker,” Otoni insisted, but that did not mean he deserved “degrading, demeaning handling”.

Likely Jail Conditions

Despite rumors that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which presently houses about 14,000 detainees, his more likely destination appears to be a adjacent jail for law enforcement and other “special” detainees referred to as Papudinha (Small Papuda).

His potential cell are far more comfortable than those in the main prison, although nonetheless a world away from the luxury Bolsonaro experienced while residing in the stunning presidential palace, around a short distance away.

As per information, the room Bolsonaro could expect to inhabit in Papudinha has about 260 square feet – roughly the dimensions of vehicle spaces – and includes a 12 sq metre bathroom with a shower and a 130 square foot veranda. “He could be allowed to have a set and additionally a minibar in his room as long as they were supplied by his family,” information indicated.

Political Responses

He criticized the talked-about idea to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “a form of retaliation” on the part of the supreme court judge who presided over Bolsonaro’s legal case and will decide his future in the {