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He contested the law and the legal system prevailed.

A couple of months following being handed a 27-year sentence for attempting to “destroy” the nation's political system, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro at last appears headed to prison.

Expected Incarceration

The convicted plotter – who's been under residential detention in his estate while a series of legal procedures and appeals proceed – is largely predicted to be incarcerated in the coming days, amid growing talk that he will be sent to a well-known high-security prison.

Previous Statements on Inmates

During Bolsonaro’s long time in politics, the far-right former soldier displayed little sympathy for the country's jailed individuals.

“For what reason must we offer these dirtbags a comfortable existence?” he once pondered. “They ought to simply be screwed, full-fucking-stop. That’s what I reckon.”

At another time, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “Unless you desire to wind up there, the only thing required is to avoid rape, abduction or theft.”

Prison Destination Debate

Yet the idea of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda prison maximum security prison in Brasília has horrified backers, four of whom this week inspected the complex in an seeming attempt to dissuade the supreme court from sending him there.

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

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s acute intestinal issues – the consequence of a almost deadly knife attack during the 2018 presidential presidential campaign – implied it would be risky to keep the ex-leader there. “His [health] situation is highly critical. He won’t be able to cope if they move him to Papuda … It would be terrible,” he added, who also voiced anxiety about overcrowded cells and the standard of prison meals.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas noted observing cells containing 40 detainees: “That is virtually one square metre per prisoner.

“We spoke to the inmates and they complain, unsurprisingly, of the horrible cuisine,” continued the senator.

Backers React

The senator isn't the lone figure expressing views ahead of the one-time head of state's anticipated detention.

Writing in a prominent daily, another ally, the ex- cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “harsh” end to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” public service and asserted Brazil was about to experience “the greatest political injustice in its past”.

“It represents an injustice that gnaws the souls of many Brazilian citizens,” the former minister said.

Varied Public Reaction

It is possibly accurate due to the considerable following Bolsonaro maintains on the right-wing. Yet his predicted jailing has also gladdened the spirits of numerous others who think he deserves to be jailed for planning to block his successor from assuming office – and additionally plotting to have him murdered.

The lawmaker, a congressman for the incumbent administration's allied group, stated: “Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to be placed in a hole. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to be placed in solitary confinement. No one desires Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We wish him to receive dignified handling – but respectful handling behind bars. He can’t continue being his self-appointed guard for his whole life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro backers, who have spent years celebrating the tough handling of convicts, had abruptly woken up to their rights. “Just now has the conservative fringe – which has always argued that basic rights should not be for lawbreakers – decided to inspect a prison to find out what circumstances are truly like,” he stated.

“Bolsonaro is a lawbreaker,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he deserved “shameful, demeaning treatment”.

Possible Jail Facilities

Regardless of speculation that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which presently houses about 14,000 inmates, his probable assigned facility seems to be a close prison for law enforcement and other “special” detainees known as Papudinha (Small Papuda).

Its cells are considerably more pleasant than those in the main prison, although still a far cry from the opulence Bolsonaro enjoyed while living in the spectacular leader's home, approximately a short distance away.

Based on sources, the accommodation Bolsonaro could expect to inhabit in Papudinha has about 24 square meters – roughly the size of two parking spaces – and includes a 12 sq metre bathroom with a bathing area and a 12 sq metre terrace. “The ex-president might be authorized to have a set and additionally a cooler in his cell as long as they were donated by his family,” sources stated.

Partisan Responses

The lawmaker denounced the talked-about idea to send the ex-president to Papuda as “a type of payback” on the part of the presiding magistrate who oversaw Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will decide his fate in the {