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He battled the law and the legal system won.

Two months subsequent to receiving a twenty-seven-year sentence for trying to “destroy” the nation's democracy, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro finally appears destined for incarceration.

Imminent Imprisonment

The adjudicated coup-monger – who has been under residential detention in his estate while a set of legal procedures and petitions play out – is largely predicted to be imprisoned in the next few days, amid increasing rumors that he will be sent to a notorious high-security penitentiary.

Historical Statements on Convicts

Throughout Bolsonaro’s four-decade public life, the conservative former soldier showed minimal sympathy for the country's inmates.

“For what reason must we provide those lowlifes a good life?” he once mused. “They ought to simply be screwed, period. That's my view.”

On another occasion, Bolsonaro stated: “Unless you desire to finish in prison, you simply need is not sexual assault, abduction or theft.”

Jail Destination Discussion

But the prospect of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda top-security prison in Brasília has appalled backers, several of whom this week toured the facility in an apparent bid to prevent the high court from transferring him there.

Izalci Lucas, a senator from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was among that group, said he predicted the elderly figure to be imprisoned in the coming fortnight and was concerned his assigned prison could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s serious digestive 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 [health] situation is highly critical. He will not be able to handle it if they move him to Papuda … It could be terrible,” he added, who also expressed concern about packed cells and the condition of prison meals.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas remembered observing cells containing forty detainees: “That is almost one square metre per prisoner.

“We conversed to the prisoners and they protest, naturally, of the horrible meals,” remarked the senator.

Supporters React

The senator isn't the only voice speaking out prior to the ex-leader's predicted imprisonment.

Penning in a major newspaper, one more backer, the former government official Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “brutal” end to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” public service and alleged Brazil was about to experience “the biggest political injustice in its history”.

“It represents an unfairness that erodes the souls of millions people in Brazil,” Wajngarten wrote.

Mixed Public Reaction

That may be correct considering the substantial backing Bolsonaro maintains on the conservative side. Yet his predicted imprisonment has also gladdened the hearts of millions individuals who think he ought to be incarcerated for planning to stop his successor from taking power – and also scheming to have him killed.

Congressman Otoni, a politician for the sitting administration's allied group, said: “No one desires Bolsonaro to be sent in a hole. Nobody wants Bolsonaro to be placed in solitary confinement. Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We wish him to get proper treatment – but dignified treatment in prison. He must not persist being his personal jailer for his whole life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro allies, who have long praising the harsh handling of inmates, had abruptly become aware to their rights. “Only now has the far-right – which has always asserted that civil liberties should not be for lawbreakers – chosen to visit a penitentiary to learn what circumstances are really like,” he stated.

“The former president is a criminal,” Otoni insisted, but that did not mean he earned “degrading, insulting treatment”.

Possible Incarceration Conditions

In spite of rumors that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which currently houses about thousands of detainees, his expected destination seems to be a adjacent prison for law enforcement and other “unique” inmates referred to as Papudinha (Small Papuda).

His potential cell are considerably more adequate than those in the main prison, although nevertheless a far cry from the luxury Bolsonaro had while residing in the impressive official residence, around 20 kilometers away.

As per sources, the accommodation Bolsonaro could expect to inhabit in Papudinha measures about 260 square feet – about the size of a couple of car spots – and contains a 130 square foot restroom with a bathing area and a 130 square foot terrace. “He could be allowed to have a set and also a cooler in his quarters as long as they were supplied by his family,” the report stated.

Political Responses

He condemned the speculated plan to send the former leader to Papuda as “a form of revenge” on the part of the supreme court judge who presided over Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will rule on his outcome in the {