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He battled the legal system and the legal system triumphed.

Sixty days after getting a 27-year sentence for seeking to “destroy” Brazil’s democratic institutions, former president Jair Bolsonaro now looks jail-bound.

Imminent Incarceration

The adjudicated coup-monger – who has been subject to residential detention in his estate while a series of legal procedures and appeals proceed – is broadly anticipated to be imprisoned in the next few days, amid increasing rumors that he will be transferred to a notorious top-security prison.

Past Remarks on Convicts

Over Bolsonaro’s long time in politics, the conservative former military man displayed little sympathy for the country's prison population.

“Why should we give those scoundrels a comfortable existence?” he once pondered. “They should just get messed, end of story. That's my view.”

On another occasion, Bolsonaro declared: “Should you not wish to finish in prison, the only thing required is not rape, kidnap or rob.”

Prison Facility Debate

But the prospect of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda prison top-security prison in Brasília has shocked supporters, four of whom this week toured the prison in an obvious bid to dissuade the high court from banishing him there.

Senator Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was one of the visitors, claimed he anticipated the septuagenarian politician to be imprisoned in the coming fortnight and was concerned his location could be Papuda.

He asserted Bolsonaro’s acute digestive problems – the consequence of a near-fatal stabbing during the last political campaign – implied it would be risky to keep the ex-leader there. “His [health] situation is very grave. He cannot to cope if they send him to Papuda … It will be awful,” he commented, who also worried about cramped cells and the condition of inmate food.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas recalled observing cells containing 40 prisoners: “That’s practically one square metre per prisoner.

“We spoke to the prisoners and they complain, unsurprisingly, of the terrible cuisine,” remarked the senator.

Supporters Voice Concerns

Lucas is not the only voice voicing opinions prior to the ex-leader's predicted detention.

Penning in a leading daily, a different supporter, the ex- communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “severe” end to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” political career and asserted Brazil was about to witness “the biggest political injustice in its history”.

“It represents an unfairness that gnaws the hearts of countless people in Brazil,” the former minister said.

Mixed General Response

It is possibly correct given the considerable support Bolsonaro holds on the conservative side. But his predicted jailing has also pleased the hearts of millions individuals who feel he should be imprisoned for conspiring to block the elected leader from becoming president – and additionally conspiring to have him killed.

The lawmaker, a representative for the sitting administration's political party, stated: “Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to be sent in a dark cell. No one desires Bolsonaro to be sent in segregation. Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We wish him to get dignified care – but proper treatment behind bars. He can’t persist being his own prison warden for his whole life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro supporters, who have for a long time praising the tough handling of convicts, had unexpectedly become aware to their entitlements. “Only now has the far-right – which has consistently claimed that human rights should not be for lawbreakers – opted to inspect a jail to discover what conditions are actually like,” he stated.

“Bolsonaro is a lawbreaker,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he merited “degrading, demeaning conduct”.

Potential Prison Facilities

Despite rumors that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which now holds about fourteen thousand inmates, his expected destination appears to be a close jail for law enforcement and other “unique” detainees referred to as Papudinha (Little Papuda).

The accommodations are much more pleasant than those in the main prison, although nevertheless a far cry from the opulence Bolsonaro enjoyed while residing in the impressive presidential palace, about 20 kilometers away.

According to information, the cell Bolsonaro could expect to occupy in Papudinha has about 24 square meters – about the size of a couple of car spots – and includes a 12 square meter bathroom with a water facility and a 130 square foot terrace. “Bolsonaro would be permitted to have a set and even a minibar in his room as long as they were provided by his family,” information indicated.

Ideological Reactions

He criticized the rumoured idea to send the former leader to Papuda as “an act of payback” on the part of the presiding magistrate who led Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will determine his fate in the {