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He battled the law and the law prevailed.

Sixty days after being handed a 27-year sentence for trying to “annihilate” Brazil’s democratic institutions, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro now appears destined for incarceration.

Imminent Imprisonment

The adjudicated coup-monger – who's been under residential detention in his residence while a set of legal procedures and challenges play out – is widely expected to be jailed in the near future, amid increasing speculation that he will be transferred to a infamous high-security penitentiary.

Past Statements on Prisoners

Over Bolsonaro’s four-decade time in politics, the far-right ex- military man displayed little sympathy for Brazil’s prison population.

“Why should we give these scoundrels a good life?” he previously wondered. “They should just get screwed, full-fucking-stop. That’s what I reckon.”

On another occasion, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “If you don’t want to end up there, the only thing required is to avoid sexual assault, kidnap or theft.”

Jail Destination Discussion

But the idea of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda prison top-security prison in Brasília has appalled supporters, a group of four this week visited the complex in an seeming attempt to discourage the high court from transferring him there.

The senator, a politician from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was among that group, claimed he predicted the 70-year-old politician to be imprisoned in the following week and a half and worried his assigned prison could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s acute digestive problems – the consequence of a life-threatening assault during the 2018 presidential political campaign – signified it would be dangerous to keep the one-time head of state there. “His condition is very grave. He won’t be able to handle it if they take him to Papuda … It would be terrible,” he commented, who also worried about packed cells and the standard of prison meals.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas noted witnessing cells containing four dozen prisoners: “That is almost one square metre per prisoner.

“We conversed to the convicts and they grumble, of course, of the awful meals,” remarked the senator.

Supporters Speak Out

He is not the lone figure expressing views before the one-time head of state's expected incarceration.

Writing in a prominent newspaper, a different supporter, the former communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “brutal” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” public service and claimed Brazil was about to witness “the biggest unfairness in its record”.

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

Mixed General Opinion

That may be true given the substantial backing Bolsonaro retains on the conservative side. However his expected jailing has also warmed the spirits of millions other people who feel he should be jailed for planning to stop the elected leader from becoming president – and even scheming to have him assassinated.

The lawmaker, a politician for the current administration's political party, said: “Nobody wants Bolsonaro to be put in a dark cell. Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to be put in solitary confinement. Nobody wishes Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We want him to obtain respectful treatment – but proper care behind bars. He cannot persist being his own prison warden for his lifetime.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro backers, who have for a long time praising the tough handling of prisoners, had suddenly woken up to their rights. “Recently has the conservative fringe – which has repeatedly asserted that human rights are not for lawbreakers – opted to inspect a prison to learn what circumstances are truly like,” he said.

“Bolsonaro is a offender,” Otoni insisted, but that did not mean he merited “shameful, insulting conduct”.

Potential Jail Environment

In spite of talk that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which now contains about thousands of prisoners, his probable destination seems to be a adjacent penitentiary for police officers and other “particular” inmates called Papudinha (Small Papuda).

Its cells are much more comfortable than those in the main prison, although nonetheless a far cry from the opulence Bolsonaro enjoyed while residing in the stunning official residence, approximately 20 kilometers away.

Based on reports, the cell Bolsonaro could likely reside in in Papudinha is about 260 square feet – approximately the dimensions of two parking spaces – and includes a 12 sq metre bathroom with a bathing area and a 12 square meter balcony. “He could be allowed to have a TV and also a minibar in his room as long as they were donated by his relatives,” information stated.

Partisan Reactions

He criticized the speculated idea to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “a type of payback” on the part of the judicial authority who oversaw Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will determine his fate in the {