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He fought the law and the law won.

Two months subsequent to receiving a 27-year sentence for seeking to “destroy” Brazil’s democratic institutions, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro now looks destined for incarceration.

Imminent Incarceration

The convicted coup-monger – who has been subject to house arrest in his residence while a set of legal procedures and challenges play out – is broadly anticipated to be imprisoned in the near future, amid mounting speculation that he will be sent to a well-known maximum security facility.

Past Remarks on Inmates

Throughout Bolsonaro’s long public life, the conservative ex- paratrooper showed minimal mercy for the country's jailed individuals.

“Why should we give those lowlifes a comfortable existence?” he once mused. “They ought to simply be screwed, period. That's my opinion.”

On another occasion, Bolsonaro declared: “Should you not wish to wind up there, all you have to do is to avoid sexual assault, abduction or theft.”

Jail Facility Debate

However the possibility of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda top-security prison in Brasília has shocked supporters, four of whom this week toured the complex in an seeming bid to prevent the supreme court from transferring him there.

Senator Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was part of that quartet, stated he predicted the 70-year-old figure to be imprisoned in the next 10 days and feared his location could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s severe intestinal issues – the consequence of a near-fatal knife attack during the 2018 presidential campaign – signified it would be risky to keep the former president there. “His health is highly critical. He won’t be able to handle it if they take him to Papuda … It could be terrible,” he added, who also worried about overcrowded cells and the standard of inmate food.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas remembered observing cells containing four dozen detainees: “It's almost one square meter per prisoner.

“We spoke to the inmates and they protest, unsurprisingly, of the terrible food,” remarked the senator.

Allies Speak Out

He is not the only voice voicing opinions before the former president’s anticipated detention.

Penning in a leading publication, one more backer, the ex- government official Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “severe” finale to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” time in office and alleged Brazil was about to experience “the biggest political injustice in its past”.

“It is an unfairness that erodes the hearts of many Brazilian citizens,” he stated.

Mixed Public Opinion

That may be correct considering the considerable backing Bolsonaro holds on the conservative side. But his anticipated incarceration has also pleased the hearts of numerous individuals who believe he ought to be imprisoned for conspiring to stop the incoming president from assuming office – and additionally scheming to have him assassinated.

The lawmaker, a politician for the sitting president's allied group, commented: “Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be placed in a hole. No one wishes Bolsonaro to be sent in solitary confinement. No one wants Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to lie on concrete. We want him to obtain dignified care – but respectful handling behind bars. He must not continue being his own prison warden for his entire life.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro supporters, who have long applauding the tough handling of prisoners, had unexpectedly woken up to their rights. “Just now has the extreme right – which has always argued that civil liberties are not for lawbreakers – decided to tour a prison to find out what situations are actually like,” he remarked.

“Bolsonaro is a offender,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he deserved “shameful, insulting conduct”.

Potential Prison Conditions

Despite speculation that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which currently houses about 14,000 prisoners, his more likely location seems to be a close penitentiary for officers and other “particular” inmates referred to as Papudinha (Little Papuda).

Its cells are considerably more pleasant than those in the main prison, although still a world away from the comfort Bolsonaro enjoyed while residing in the stunning official residence, about a short distance away.

As per reports, the room Bolsonaro could anticipate inhabit in Papudinha measures about 24 square meters – roughly the dimensions of two parking spaces – and contains a 12 sq metre WC with a bathing area and a 12 square meter veranda. “Bolsonaro would be authorized to have a set and also a cooler in his room as long as they were donated by his loved ones,” information suggested.

Ideological Reactions

The lawmaker denounced the talked-about plan to send the ex-president to Papuda as “a form of retaliation” on the part of the presiding magistrate who led Bolsonaro’s legal case and will determine his fate in the {