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He contested the law and the law won.

A couple of months after being handed a 27-year sentence for seeking to “destroy” Brazil’s democratic institutions, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro at last looks destined for incarceration.

Anticipated Incarceration

The convicted instigator – who had been living under residential detention in his residence while a number of legal procedures and appeals play out – is widely expected to be incarcerated in the near future, amidst mounting speculation that he will be sent to a well-known high-security facility.

Past Remarks on Convicts

Over Bolsonaro’s 40-year time in politics, the conservative ex- soldier exhibited scant sympathy for the country's inmates.

“For what reason must we provide these lowlifes a comfortable existence?” he once mused. “They should just get fucked, full-fucking-stop. That's my view.”

On another occasion, Bolsonaro declared: “Unless you desire to finish behind bars, all you have to do is to avoid sexual assault, kidnap or rob.”

Jail Location Discussion

But the possibility of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda high-security prison in Brasília has shocked allies, several of whom this week visited the prison in an seeming bid to prevent the judiciary from sending him there.

Senator Lucas, a senator from Bolsonaro’s political party who was among that group, claimed he expected the elderly figure to be jailed in the following week and a half and worried his destination could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s acute digestive issues – the outcome of a near-fatal knife attack during the 2018 presidential political campaign – implied it would be risky to keep the former president there. “His condition is very grave. He won’t be able to handle it if they take him to Papuda … It would be dreadful,” he commented, who also worried about cramped cells and the condition of inmate food.

During his tour Papuda, Lucas noted seeing cells holding 40 detainees: “That is practically one meter squared per detainee.

“We conversed to the convicts and they grumble, unsurprisingly, of the awful food,” continued the senator.

Backers React

The senator isn't the only voice speaking out before the one-time head of state's anticipated incarceration.

Penning in a leading daily, another ally, the ex- communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “harsh” finale to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” public service and claimed Brazil was about to see “the greatest political injustice in its history”.

“It is an wrong that gnaws the hearts of millions people in Brazil,” Wajngarten wrote.

Mixed General Response

It is possibly accurate given the considerable backing Bolsonaro retains on the Brazilian right. Yet his expected imprisonment has also gladdened the hearts of numerous individuals who believe he deserves to be incarcerated for conspiring to prevent the incoming president from becoming president – and also plotting to have him murdered.

Reimont Otoni, a politician for the sitting president's political party, commented: “Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to be placed in a dungeon. No one desires Bolsonaro to be sent in isolation. Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to lie on concrete. We wish him to receive respectful handling – but respectful treatment behind bars. He must not persist being his own prison warden for his whole life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro supporters, who have long applauding the tough handling of prisoners, had unexpectedly become aware to their rights. “Recently has the far-right – which has always asserted that civil liberties were not for criminals – decided to visit a jail to learn what conditions are truly like,” he remarked.

“Bolsonaro is a criminal,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he merited “shameful, demeaning handling”.

Potential Incarceration Facilities

In spite of talk that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which currently holds about thousands of detainees, his expected destination looks to be a nearby prison for officers and other “unique” detainees known as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

His potential cell are considerably more comfortable than those in the primary facility, although nevertheless a world away from the opulence Bolsonaro had while living in the impressive official residence, about a short distance away.

According to reports, the accommodation Bolsonaro could likely inhabit in Papudinha is about 24 sq metres – approximately the area of vehicle spaces – and includes a 12 sq metre WC with a shower and a 12 square meter terrace. “He could be authorized to have a set and even a cooler in his room as long as they were donated by his relatives,” information stated.

Political Comments

He denounced the speculated plan to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “a form of payback” on the part of the presiding magistrate who led Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will rule on his fate in the {