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He fought the law and justice triumphed.

A couple of months subsequent to getting a twenty-seven-year sentence for attempting to “destroy” Brazil’s democracy, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro at last looks jail-bound.

Imminent Jailing

The found-guilty coup-monger – who has been under residential detention in his residence while a set of legal procedures and appeals unfold – is broadly anticipated to be imprisoned in the coming days, amid increasing talk that he will be moved to a notorious top-security facility.

Past Comments on Inmates

During Bolsonaro’s long time in politics, the far-right former military man displayed little sympathy for Brazil’s jailed individuals.

“For what reason must we give those dirtbags a comfortable existence?” he previously wondered. “They ought to simply be screwed, end of story. That's my opinion.”

On another occasion, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “Should you not wish to wind up in prison, you simply need is to avoid rape, kidnap or theft.”

Incarceration Location Debate

However the idea of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda top-security prison in Brasília has appalled supporters, a group of four this week visited the facility in an obvious bid to dissuade the supreme court from banishing him there.

Senator Lucas, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s political party who was part of that quartet, said he anticipated the elderly figure to be incarcerated in the next 10 days and worried his destination could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s serious intestinal problems – the result of a life-threatening knife attack during the last presidential campaign – implied it would be dangerous to keep the ex-leader there. “His health is highly critical. He cannot to handle it if they take him to Papuda … It would be dreadful,” said the senator, who also worried about overcrowded cells and the standard of inmate food.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas noted observing cells containing 40 prisoners: “That is virtually one square metre per detainee.

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

Allies React

He is not the only voice speaking out ahead of the one-time head of state's expected detention.

Penning in a major publication, another ally, the former communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “brutal” finale to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” political career and asserted Brazil was about to see “the greatest political injustice in its past”.

“It represents an unfairness that gnaws the souls of countless of Brazilians,” the former minister said.

Divided General Reaction

This could be correct considering the considerable backing Bolsonaro holds on the Brazilian right. Yet his expected imprisonment has also warmed the feelings of many others who believe he deserves to be imprisoned for plotting to prevent the elected leader from taking power – and additionally plotting to have him assassinated.

Reimont Otoni, a representative for the current administration's Workers’ party, said: “No one desires Bolsonaro to be sent in a hole. No one desires Bolsonaro to be placed in isolation. No one wishes Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to lie on concrete. We want him to obtain dignified care – but dignified handling while incarcerated. He cannot continue being his own prison warden for his lifetime.”

He observed how Bolsonaro allies, who have long celebrating the harsh treatment of convicts, had suddenly realized to their privileges. “Only now has the far-right – which has always claimed that basic rights were not for offenders – chosen to tour a jail to discover what situations are actually like,” he stated.

“He is a criminal,” Otoni insisted, but that did not mean he merited “degrading, insulting handling”.

Potential Jail Conditions

In spite of talk that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which currently contains about fourteen thousand prisoners, his expected location appears to be a adjacent jail for police officers and other “particular” detainees referred to as Papudinha (Little Papuda).

The accommodations are considerably more comfortable than those in the primary facility, although nonetheless a far cry from the opulence Bolsonaro experienced while occupying the impressive official residence, about a short distance away.

Based on reports, the room Bolsonaro could likely reside in in Papudinha measures about 24 square meters – roughly the area of vehicle spaces – and includes a 12 sq metre WC with a bathing area and a 12 sq metre terrace. “The ex-president might be allowed to have a set and additionally a small fridge in his room as long as they were provided by his family,” information suggested.

Ideological Responses

Senator Lucas denounced the speculated plan to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “a type of retaliation” on the part of the judicial authority who presided over Bolsonaro’s legal case and will decide his outcome in the {