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He battled the law and the legal system won.

Two months following being handed a 27-year sentence for attempting to “destroy” the nation's democratic institutions, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro at last looks jail-bound.

Imminent Imprisonment

The convicted instigator – who has been subject to home confinement in his mansion while a number of court processes and appeals proceed – is broadly anticipated to be jailed in the near future, during increasing talk that he will be sent to a notorious top-security prison.

Historical Remarks on Prisoners

During Bolsonaro’s long public life, the conservative ex- paratrooper showed scant mercy for the country's jailed individuals.

“Why should we provide those lowlifes a comfortable existence?” he once mused. “They ought to simply be messed, full-fucking-stop. That’s what I reckon.”

In another instance, Bolsonaro declared: “Should you not wish to wind up there, you simply need is to avoid rape, kidnap or rob.”

Prison Facility Discussion

Yet the prospect of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda maximum security prison in Brasília has horrified allies, several of whom this week inspected the facility in an apparent attempt to dissuade the judiciary from sending him there.

Izalci Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was part of that quartet, stated he predicted the elderly politician to be incarcerated in the next 10 days and feared his destination could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s severe gut ailments – the result of a life-threatening stabbing during the last political campaign – implied it would be hazardous to keep the ex-leader there. “His health is very grave. He will not be able to cope if they move him to Papuda … It would be awful,” he added, who also expressed concern about packed cells and the quality of inmate food.

During his tour Papuda, Lucas noted seeing cells accommodating four dozen inmates: “That is virtually one square metre per prisoner.

“We spoke to the prisoners and they complain, naturally, of the awful meals,” remarked the senator.

Backers Voice Concerns

Lucas is not the sole person voicing opinions prior to the one-time head of state's predicted incarceration.

Authoring in a leading daily, another ally, the former communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “severe” finale to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” time in office and asserted Brazil was about to see “the biggest unfairness in its past”.

“It represents an unfairness that erodes the souls of countless people in Brazil,” the former minister said.

Divided Popular Opinion

That may be accurate given the substantial following Bolsonaro holds on the conservative side. But his anticipated incarceration has also warmed the feelings of many individuals who feel he should be jailed for plotting to stop the incoming president from assuming office – and also plotting to have him murdered.

Reimont Otoni, a congressman for the incumbent leader's political party, stated: “Nobody desires Bolsonaro to be put in a dark cell. Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be sent in isolation. Nobody wants Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We want him to obtain proper treatment – but dignified treatment while incarcerated. He can’t carry on being his own prison warden for his entire life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro supporters, who have spent years praising the tough conditions of inmates, had unexpectedly become aware to their entitlements. “Recently has the far-right – which has always claimed that human rights are not for offenders – decided to visit a jail to discover what conditions are actually like,” he stated.

“The former president is a criminal,” Otoni insisted, but that did not mean he merited “shameful, demeaning treatment”.

Possible Jail Facilities

Regardless of rumors that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which now houses about thousands of prisoners, his more likely location seems to be a nearby jail for officers and other “special” detainees known as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

The accommodations are much more comfortable than those in the larger jail, although still a far cry from the comfort Bolsonaro enjoyed while occupying the impressive presidential palace, around 12 miles away.

As per information, the cell Bolsonaro could anticipate inhabit in Papudinha is about 260 square feet – approximately the dimensions of a couple of car spots – and features a 130 square foot bathroom with a water facility and a 12 square meter terrace. “Bolsonaro would be allowed to have a television and even a small fridge in his room as long as they were donated by his family,” sources suggested.

Political Responses

He denounced the speculated idea to send the former leader to Papuda as “a form of retaliation” on the part of the supreme court judge who oversaw Bolsonaro’s legal case and will decide his fate in the {