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He contested the law and the law prevailed.

Two months subsequent to being handed a quarter-century plus sentence for seeking to “eradicate” Brazil’s democracy, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro now appears destined for incarceration.

Expected Imprisonment

The adjudicated instigator – who's been subject to residential detention in his mansion while a number of court processes and challenges proceed – is widely expected to be imprisoned in the next few days, during growing speculation that he will be transferred to a well-known top-security penitentiary.

Historical Statements on Convicts

Throughout Bolsonaro’s long time in politics, the conservative former military man showed minimal sympathy for Brazil’s jailed individuals.

“Why should we offer these dirtbags a good life?” he previously wondered. “They deserve to be messed, end of story. That's my opinion.”

At another time, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “Unless you desire to wind up there, all you have to do is to avoid sexual assault, kidnap or rob.”

Jail Location Debate

But the possibility of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda top-security prison in Brasília has shocked backers, several of whom this week inspected the prison in an apparent attempt to prevent the supreme court from sending him there.

Izalci Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s political party who was part of that quartet, claimed he expected the 70-year-old leader to be jailed in the coming fortnight and feared his assigned prison could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s severe gut issues – the result of a life-threatening stabbing during the 2018 political campaign – signified it would be hazardous to keep the one-time head of state there. “His health is highly critical. He will not be able to manage if they move him to Papuda … It would be awful,” he added, who also expressed concern about cramped cells and the quality of jail cuisine.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas remembered observing cells holding forty prisoners: “It's virtually one square metre per inmate.

“We talked to the prisoners and they grumble, unsurprisingly, of the awful food,” added the senator.

Allies Speak Out

Lucas is not the sole person expressing views prior to the former president’s anticipated detention.

Writing in a prominent newspaper, a different supporter, the ex- government official Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “harsh” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” public service and claimed Brazil was about to see “the largest political injustice in its history”.

“This is an unfairness that eats away the spirits of many people in Brazil,” he stated.

Divided General Reaction

It is possibly true given the considerable following Bolsonaro maintains on the right-wing. Yet his predicted incarceration has also warmed the spirits of many individuals who believe he deserves to be incarcerated for conspiring to block the incoming president from assuming office – and even conspiring to have him assassinated.

Congressman Otoni, a politician for the current leader's political party, stated: “No one desires Bolsonaro to be placed in a dungeon. No one desires Bolsonaro to be sent in solitary confinement. Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We want him to get respectful care – but respectful handling while incarcerated. He can’t continue being his own prison warden for his whole life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro backers, who have spent years applauding the tough handling of convicts, had suddenly become aware to their entitlements. “Only now has the conservative fringe – which has always claimed that human rights were not for offenders – decided to inspect a jail to learn what circumstances are really like,” he remarked.

“He is a criminal,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he deserved “shameful, demeaning conduct”.

Likely Prison Facilities

Regardless of speculation that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which presently contains about 14,000 detainees, his expected location seems to be a adjacent penitentiary for law enforcement and other “unique” inmates called Papudinha (Small Papuda).

Its cells are considerably more pleasant than those in the larger jail, although nevertheless a distant from the comfort Bolsonaro had while occupying the impressive official residence, around 12 miles away.

Based on sources, the accommodation Bolsonaro could anticipate occupy in Papudinha is about 24 sq metres – approximately the dimensions of a couple of car spots – and includes a 12 square meter WC with a bathing area and a 12 square meter terrace. “Bolsonaro would be permitted to have a television and additionally a minibar in his room as long as they were donated by his relatives,” sources stated.

Ideological Responses

The lawmaker denounced the speculated idea to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “an act of retaliation” on the part of the supreme court judge who led Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will decide his outcome in the {