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He battled the legal system and the law prevailed.

Sixty days after receiving a quarter-century plus sentence for seeking to “eradicate” the nation's democratic institutions, former president Jair Bolsonaro finally appears headed to prison.

Expected Incarceration

The adjudicated instigator – who had been subject to residential detention in his residence while a series of judicial steps and petitions unfold – is widely expected to be imprisoned in the next few days, during growing rumors that he will be transferred to a notorious top-security facility.

Historical Remarks on Convicts

Over Bolsonaro’s 40-year public life, the right-wing ex- paratrooper displayed scant mercy for the country's jailed individuals.

“For what reason must we give those scoundrels a easy time?” he previously wondered. “They ought to simply be messed, end of story. That’s what I reckon.”

At another time, Bolsonaro declared: “Should you not wish to finish there, you simply need is to avoid sexual assault, abduction or theft.”

Jail Facility Speculation

However the idea of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda high-security prison in Brasília has horrified allies, several of whom this week inspected the prison in an seeming bid to prevent the judiciary from transferring him there.

The senator, a politician from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was among that group, claimed he predicted the septuagenarian leader to be incarcerated in the following week and a half and was concerned his destination could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s severe digestive issues – the consequence of a life-threatening knife attack during the 2018 presidential political campaign – signified it would be hazardous to keep the former president there. “His [health] situation is highly critical. He will not be able to handle it if they move him to Papuda … It will be awful,” said the senator, who also expressed concern about packed cells and the quality of inmate food.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas remembered witnessing cells holding 40 detainees: “That’s virtually one meter squared per prisoner.

“We spoke to the inmates and they protest, of course, of the terrible cuisine,” remarked the senator.

Supporters Speak Out

Lucas is not the sole person speaking out before the one-time head of state's expected incarceration.

Writing in a prominent publication, a different supporter, the former government official Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “brutal” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” public service and alleged Brazil was about to experience “the largest unfairness in its history”.

“This is an wrong that gnaws the hearts of many Brazilian citizens,” the former minister said.

Mixed General Reaction

That may be true due to the substantial backing Bolsonaro maintains on the conservative side. Yet his expected jailing has also gladdened the spirits of millions others who believe he ought to be incarcerated for plotting to stop the incoming president from becoming president – and additionally scheming to have him killed.

Reimont Otoni, a politician for the current administration's Workers’ party, said: “Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be put in a dark cell. No one desires Bolsonaro to be placed in isolation. Nobody desires Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We desire him to receive respectful handling – but respectful handling in prison. He cannot continue being his personal jailer for his entire life.”

He observed how Bolsonaro allies, who have spent years applauding the harsh treatment of prisoners, had suddenly woken up to their privileges. “Just now has the conservative fringe – which has repeatedly argued that human rights should not be for lawbreakers – decided to visit a prison to discover what conditions are truly like,” he remarked.

“Bolsonaro is a criminal,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he merited “humiliating, degrading conduct”.

Likely Prison Environment

In spite of speculation that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which currently houses about thousands of detainees, his more likely location seems to be a nearby penitentiary for officers and other “special” detainees known as Papudinha (Little Papuda).

His potential cell are far more adequate than those in the primary facility, although still a distant from the luxury Bolsonaro had while occupying the impressive official residence, around 20 kilometers away.

Based on information, the cell Bolsonaro could likely inhabit in Papudinha is about 24 sq metres – roughly the dimensions of vehicle spaces – and contains a 12 sq metre bathroom with a water facility and a 12 square meter balcony. “He could be authorized to have a television and also a small fridge in his quarters as long as they were provided by his loved ones,” the report stated.

Political Responses

Senator Lucas condemned the rumoured plan to send the ex-president to Papuda as “a type of revenge” on the part of the judicial authority who oversaw Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will rule on his future in the {