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He fought the legal system and the law won.

Two months subsequent to receiving a quarter-century plus sentence for seeking to “destroy” the nation's democratic institutions, former president Jair Bolsonaro at last appears headed to prison.

Anticipated Jailing

The adjudicated instigator – who's been subject to residential detention in his residence while a number of legal procedures and petitions play out – is broadly anticipated to be incarcerated in the next few days, amidst mounting rumors that he will be moved to a well-known top-security prison.

Previous Statements on Inmates

Throughout Bolsonaro’s 40-year public life, the conservative former paratrooper exhibited minimal mercy for Brazil’s inmates.

“For what reason must we provide those scoundrels a easy time?” he previously wondered. “They should just get fucked, full-fucking-stop. That's my opinion.”

On another occasion, Bolsonaro declared: “Should you not wish to wind up behind bars, the only thing required is to avoid sexual assault, kidnap or rob.”

Prison Facility Speculation

But the idea of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda maximum security prison in Brasília has horrified allies, four of whom this week visited the facility in an seeming bid to prevent the judiciary from transferring him there.

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

He asserted Bolsonaro’s acute intestinal issues – the result of a life-threatening assault during the 2018 presidential political campaign – meant it would be risky to keep the former president there. “His condition is very grave. He won’t be able to cope if they move him to Papuda … It would be dreadful,” said the senator, who also expressed concern about overcrowded cells and the standard of prison meals.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas remembered witnessing cells containing four dozen inmates: “It's virtually one meter squared per inmate.

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

Allies React

Lucas is not the lone figure voicing opinions ahead of the ex-leader's predicted incarceration.

Writing in a prominent daily, a different supporter, the former communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “brutal” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” time in office and asserted Brazil was about to see “the largest wrong in its record”.

“This is an injustice that erodes the hearts of countless people in Brazil,” Wajngarten wrote.

Divided Popular Reaction

This could be accurate due to the considerable support Bolsonaro maintains on the Brazilian right. However his anticipated incarceration has also pleased the feelings of millions others who believe he ought to be jailed for planning to stop the elected leader from becoming president – and also plotting to have him murdered.

Congressman Otoni, a representative for the incumbent leader's political party, commented: “Nobody desires Bolsonaro to be placed in a hole. Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to be put in solitary confinement. Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to lie on concrete. We desire him to get respectful handling – but respectful handling in prison. He can’t continue being his personal jailer for his entire life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro supporters, who have for a long time applauding the severe treatment of prisoners, had suddenly realized to their rights. “Recently has the far-right – which has repeatedly asserted that human rights are not for offenders – opted to tour a prison to discover what situations are really like,” he remarked.

“He is a criminal,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he earned “humiliating, demeaning treatment”.

Possible Incarceration Environment

In spite of talk that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which currently contains about thousands of prisoners, his probable assigned facility seems to be a nearby penitentiary for police officers and other “unique” detainees referred to as Papudinha (Small Papuda).

The accommodations are much more comfortable than those in the primary facility, although nevertheless a far cry from the opulence Bolsonaro had while living in the impressive presidential palace, about 20 kilometers away.

Based on information, the accommodation Bolsonaro could expect to inhabit in Papudinha is about 24 square meters – approximately the size of two parking spaces – and features a 12 square meter bathroom with a shower and a 130 square foot veranda. “He could be allowed to have a television and also a cooler in his quarters as long as they were donated by his relatives,” the report indicated.

Political Reactions

Senator Lucas condemned the rumoured proposal to send the former leader to Papuda as “a form of retaliation” on the part of the judicial authority who led Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will decide his future in the {