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He contested the legal system and the legal system prevailed.

A couple of months after being handed a quarter-century plus sentence for attempting to “annihilate” Brazil’s political system, former president Jair Bolsonaro now looks headed to prison.

Expected Jailing

The adjudicated coup-monger – who's been living under residential detention in his residence while a series of judicial steps and appeals unfold – is widely expected to be jailed in the near future, during increasing speculation that he will be moved to a infamous high-security prison.

Historical Comments on Convicts

During Bolsonaro’s 40-year time in politics, the right-wing former military man showed little sympathy for the country's jailed individuals.

“For what reason must we offer these scoundrels a comfortable existence?” he once mused. “They deserve to be screwed, period. That's my view.”

On another occasion, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “If you don’t want to wind up in prison, all you have to do is not sexual assault, abduction or rob.”

Prison Location Speculation

Yet the possibility of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda prison maximum security prison in Brasília has shocked allies, four of whom this week toured the facility in an apparent bid to dissuade the high court from sending him there.

Senator Lucas, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s political party who was one of the visitors, stated he predicted the 70-year-old politician to be imprisoned in the coming fortnight and was concerned his assigned prison could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s severe digestive issues – the outcome of a life-threatening assault during the 2018 presidential campaign – signified it would be risky to keep the one-time head of state there. “His health is very grave. He won’t be able to manage if they move him to Papuda … It would be dreadful,” said the senator, who also expressed concern about packed cells and the condition of prison meals.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas recalled seeing cells accommodating four dozen detainees: “That is practically one square meter per prisoner.

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

Backers React

The senator isn't the sole person speaking out prior to the one-time head of state's anticipated incarceration.

Writing in a leading daily, another ally, the former communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “harsh” end to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” time in office and claimed Brazil was about to experience “the greatest political injustice in its history”.

“This is an wrong that eats away the spirits of many Brazilian citizens,” the former minister said.

Varied Public Reaction

It is possibly accurate considering the significant backing Bolsonaro holds on the conservative side. Yet his expected jailing has also gladdened the hearts of many others who feel he ought to be jailed for planning to stop his successor from assuming office – and even plotting to have him killed.

The lawmaker, a politician for the sitting administration's political party, said: “No one wants Bolsonaro to be placed in a dungeon. Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to be sent in isolation. Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to lie on concrete. We desire him to get proper care – but respectful treatment in prison. He must not continue being his own prison warden for his entire life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro allies, who have for a long time praising the tough conditions of inmates, had abruptly woken up to their rights. “Just now has the conservative fringe – which has repeatedly claimed that basic rights were not for offenders – opted to tour a prison to discover what circumstances are truly like,” he stated.

“He is a criminal,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he earned “degrading, degrading handling”.

Possible Incarceration Conditions

Regardless of rumors that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which presently houses about thousands of prisoners, his probable location appears to be a adjacent jail for police officers and other “unique” detainees known as Papudinha (Little Papuda).

The accommodations are far more pleasant than those in the main prison, although still a distant from the comfort Bolsonaro had while occupying the stunning official residence, about a short distance away.

According to information, the room Bolsonaro could expect to inhabit in Papudinha is about 260 square feet – approximately the area of vehicle spaces – and includes a 12 sq metre bathroom with a bathing area and a 130 square foot balcony. “The ex-president might be authorized to have a TV and additionally a cooler in his room as long as they were supplied by his loved ones,” information suggested.

Ideological Comments

Senator Lucas condemned the talked-about proposal to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “an act of retaliation” on the part of the judicial authority who presided over Bolsonaro’s legal case and will decide his outcome in the {