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He contested justice and justice prevailed.

Two months after being handed a 27-year sentence for attempting to “annihilate” Brazil’s democratic institutions, former president Jair Bolsonaro at last seems destined for incarceration.

Expected Incarceration

The convicted plotter – who has been subject to house arrest in his estate while a number of court processes and challenges unfold – is broadly anticipated to be jailed in the coming days, amid increasing rumors that he will be transferred to a infamous high-security penitentiary.

Historical Comments on Prisoners

During Bolsonaro’s four-decade time in politics, the conservative former military man showed scant sympathy for Brazil’s jailed individuals.

“Why should we give those scoundrels a good life?” he once mused. “They ought to simply be screwed, end of story. That's my view.”

In another instance, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “Unless you desire to wind up there, you simply need is to avoid rape, kidnap or rob.”

Incarceration Facility Debate

Yet the possibility of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda prison high-security prison in Brasília has appalled supporters, several of whom this week toured the facility in an obvious effort to discourage the supreme court from sending him there.

Senator Lucas, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was one of the visitors, claimed he predicted the elderly figure to be jailed in the coming fortnight and was concerned his destination could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s serious digestive ailments – the result of a almost deadly assault during the 2018 election race – implied it would be risky to keep the ex-leader there. “His [health] situation is very grave. He will not be able to cope if they send him to Papuda … It could be awful,” said the senator, who also expressed concern about overcrowded cells and the condition of jail cuisine.

During his tour Papuda, Lucas noted observing cells containing forty prisoners: “That is virtually one square metre per detainee.

“We spoke to the inmates and they grumble, naturally, of the awful food,” continued the senator.

Supporters Voice Concerns

The senator isn't the only voice expressing views prior to the former president’s predicted detention.

Authoring in a major newspaper, another ally, the ex- government official Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “brutal” end to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” public service and asserted Brazil was about to witness “the greatest unfairness in its history”.

“It is an injustice that gnaws the spirits of countless people in Brazil,” he stated.

Divided Public Reaction

That may be correct considering the significant backing Bolsonaro holds on the right-wing. But his expected imprisonment has also pleased the spirits of numerous others who think he should be incarcerated for conspiring to prevent his successor from assuming office – and also conspiring to have him assassinated.

Reimont Otoni, a politician for the current president's political party, said: “Nobody desires Bolsonaro to be placed in a dungeon. Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to be placed in solitary confinement. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We wish him to receive proper care – but respectful care behind bars. He must not carry on being his own prison warden for his entire life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro allies, who have spent years praising the harsh handling of convicts, had abruptly woken up to their rights. “Just now has the extreme right – which has consistently argued that civil liberties should not be for criminals – chosen to tour a penitentiary to discover what conditions are truly like,” he said.

“Bolsonaro is a offender,” Otoni insisted, but that did not mean he deserved “shameful, degrading treatment”.

Possible Prison Facilities

In spite of talk that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which presently contains about 14,000 detainees, his expected location appears to be a adjacent penitentiary for officers and other “particular” inmates referred to as Papudinha (Small Papuda).

Its cells are considerably more adequate than those in the main prison, although still a far cry from the luxury Bolsonaro enjoyed while occupying the impressive presidential palace, about 12 miles away.

Based on sources, the accommodation Bolsonaro could expect to reside in in Papudinha measures about 24 sq metres – approximately the area of a couple of car spots – and features a 12 sq metre WC with a water facility and a 12 sq metre terrace. “Bolsonaro would be authorized to have a TV and additionally a minibar in his cell as long as they were donated by his loved ones,” sources indicated.

Partisan Responses

Senator Lucas condemned the talked-about plan to send the ex-president to Papuda as “a type of revenge” on the part of the judicial authority who presided over Bolsonaro’s legal case and will decide his fate in the {