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He fought justice and the legal system prevailed.

Two months after being handed a twenty-seven-year sentence for attempting to “annihilate” Brazil’s political system, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro finally seems jail-bound.

Imminent Imprisonment

The adjudicated instigator – who has been under house arrest in his residence while a number of court processes and appeals unfold – is largely predicted to be jailed in the coming days, amid growing speculation that he will be moved to a infamous maximum security penitentiary.

Previous Statements on Prisoners

Throughout Bolsonaro’s long political career, the far-right ex- paratrooper showed little mercy for the country's jailed individuals.

“For what reason must we provide those scoundrels a easy time?” he previously wondered. “They should just get screwed, period. That's my view.”

On another occasion, Bolsonaro declared: “Should you not wish to end up behind bars, all you have to do is to avoid sexual assault, abduction or rob.”

Jail Destination Debate

Yet the idea of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda prison maximum security prison in Brasília has horrified supporters, four of whom this week toured the facility in an seeming bid to dissuade the judiciary from banishing him there.

Senator Lucas, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was among that group, stated he anticipated the elderly politician to be incarcerated in the coming fortnight and worried his location could be Papuda.

He asserted Bolsonaro’s serious digestive problems – the outcome of a near-fatal stabbing during the 2018 presidential campaign – meant it would be risky to keep the one-time head of state there. “His [health] situation is highly critical. He will not be able to cope if they take him to Papuda … It would be dreadful,” he commented, who also voiced anxiety about overcrowded cells and the standard of prison meals.

During his tour Papuda, Lucas remembered observing cells accommodating 40 detainees: “That is virtually one square metre per detainee.

“We spoke to the prisoners and they protest, of course, of the horrible cuisine,” continued the senator.

Backers React

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

Writing in a major daily, another ally, the ex- government official Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “harsh” end to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” political career and claimed Brazil was about to experience “the biggest wrong in its record”.

“It is an injustice that eats away the hearts of countless Brazilian citizens,” Wajngarten wrote.

Divided Public Opinion

This could be true given the significant following Bolsonaro retains on the Brazilian right. But his expected imprisonment has also warmed the feelings of millions individuals who believe he ought to be imprisoned for plotting to prevent the incoming president from becoming president – and even scheming to have him assassinated.

Congressman Otoni, a congressman for the incumbent leader's Workers’ party, stated: “Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to be sent in a dungeon. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to be put in isolation. Nobody wishes Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to lie on concrete. We want him to get dignified care – but dignified treatment behind bars. He must not continue being his personal jailer for his entire life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro allies, who have for a long time celebrating the harsh conditions of inmates, had abruptly become aware to their rights. “Just now has the conservative fringe – which has always claimed that human rights are not for lawbreakers – opted to visit a prison to find out what circumstances are really like,” he said.

“He is a lawbreaker,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he merited “humiliating, demeaning conduct”.

Potential Jail Conditions

Despite talk that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which now contains about 14,000 prisoners, his expected destination appears to be a close penitentiary for law enforcement and other “unique” prisoners known as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

The accommodations are far more comfortable than those in the larger jail, although still a far cry from the luxury Bolsonaro experienced while living in the stunning presidential palace, approximately a short distance away.

According to information, the room Bolsonaro could anticipate inhabit in Papudinha is about 24 sq metres – approximately the size of a couple of car spots – and features a 12 square meter bathroom with a water facility and a 12 sq metre veranda. “Bolsonaro would be authorized to have a set and also a cooler in his quarters as long as they were provided by his loved ones,” the report stated.

Political Comments

The lawmaker denounced the rumoured plan to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “an act of revenge” on the part of the presiding magistrate who oversaw Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will decide his fate in the {