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He fought justice and the law won.

A couple of months following receiving a 27-year sentence for attempting to “destroy” the nation's democratic institutions, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro at last appears destined for incarceration.

Imminent Incarceration

The found-guilty coup-monger – who had been subject to home confinement in his mansion while a series of court processes and challenges play out – is largely predicted to be imprisoned in the coming days, amid increasing talk that he will be transferred to a well-known high-security prison.

Previous Statements on Convicts

During Bolsonaro’s long political career, the right-wing former soldier displayed little compassion for the country's inmates.

“Why should we provide those scoundrels a easy time?” he once mused. “They should just get messed, full-fucking-stop. That's my opinion.”

At another time, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “Should you not wish to end up behind bars, all you have to do is to avoid rape, kidnap or rob.”

Prison Location Discussion

But the idea of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda prison top-security prison in Brasília has appalled allies, four of whom this week toured the facility in an apparent attempt to dissuade the judiciary from banishing him there.

Senator Lucas, a senator from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was among that group, claimed he anticipated the elderly figure to be jailed in the next 10 days and was concerned his location could be Papuda.

He asserted Bolsonaro’s serious intestinal problems – the consequence of a life-threatening knife attack during the 2018 presidential election race – implied it would be risky to keep the ex-leader there. “His condition is extremely serious. He will not be able to manage if they take him to Papuda … It will be terrible,” he added, who also voiced anxiety about overcrowded cells and the condition of jail cuisine.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas remembered witnessing cells containing four dozen prisoners: “That is practically one square metre per inmate.

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

Allies Voice Concerns

Lucas is not the lone figure speaking out prior to the one-time head of state's expected detention.

Penning in a major publication, another ally, the ex- cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “harsh” end to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” public service and claimed Brazil was about to experience “the largest unfairness in its history”.

“It represents an wrong that erodes the souls of many people in Brazil,” he stated.

Varied Popular Reaction

That may be correct considering the substantial backing Bolsonaro retains on the conservative side. Yet his predicted imprisonment has also pleased the spirits of numerous individuals who believe he should be imprisoned for plotting to prevent the elected leader from assuming office – and additionally scheming to have him assassinated.

Congressman Otoni, a representative for the sitting president's political party, commented: “Nobody desires Bolsonaro to be sent in a dark cell. No one desires Bolsonaro to be sent in segregation. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We wish him to receive respectful care – but dignified treatment behind bars. He can’t persist being his self-appointed guard for his lifetime.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro backers, who have long praising the severe treatment of convicts, had unexpectedly become aware to their privileges. “Recently has the conservative fringe – which has always argued that civil liberties are not for criminals – chosen to tour a penitentiary to find out what situations are really like,” he stated.

“He is a criminal,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he merited “degrading, insulting conduct”.

Likely Prison Environment

Despite speculation that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which now houses about fourteen thousand inmates, his more likely assigned facility appears to be a adjacent penitentiary for law enforcement and other “unique” inmates called Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

Its cells are considerably more adequate than those in the larger jail, although nonetheless a distant from the opulence Bolsonaro experienced while occupying the impressive official residence, around 12 miles away.

According to sources, the room Bolsonaro could expect to reside in in Papudinha measures about 24 square meters – about the dimensions of two parking spaces – and features a 12 square meter WC with a bathing area and a 12 square meter balcony. “Bolsonaro would be allowed to have a set and additionally a minibar in his cell as long as they were supplied by his loved ones,” the report stated.

Political Comments

He criticized the speculated plan to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “a form of payback” on the part of the judicial authority who led Bolsonaro’s legal case and will decide his future in the {