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He battled the law and the law triumphed.

Sixty days subsequent to getting a twenty-seven-year sentence for attempting to “destroy” Brazil’s democracy, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro at last looks headed to prison.

Expected Incarceration

The convicted plotter – who's been under house arrest in his residence while a series of legal procedures and petitions play out – is widely expected to be jailed in the coming days, amid mounting speculation that he will be moved to a well-known maximum security facility.

Previous Comments on Prisoners

During Bolsonaro’s four-decade political career, the far-right former soldier exhibited scant mercy for the country's prison population.

“For what reason must we provide these scoundrels a comfortable existence?” he previously wondered. “They should just get messed, period. That’s what I reckon.”

In another instance, Bolsonaro stated: “Should you not wish to finish there, the only thing required is to avoid rape, kidnap or rob.”

Prison Destination Debate

However the idea of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda maximum security prison in Brasília has shocked supporters, four of whom this week toured the facility in an apparent attempt to dissuade the high court from transferring him there.

Izalci Lucas, a senator from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was among that group, stated he expected the septuagenarian leader to be incarcerated in the coming fortnight and feared his assigned prison could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s serious intestinal issues – the consequence of a near-fatal stabbing during the last election race – signified it would be dangerous to keep the former president there. “His condition is highly critical. He won’t be able to handle it if they send him to Papuda … It will be dreadful,” said the senator, who also worried about cramped cells and the standard of prison meals.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas recalled observing cells holding four dozen inmates: “That is virtually one square metre per inmate.

“We spoke to the inmates and they grumble, unsurprisingly, of the horrible meals,” added the senator.

Allies Voice Concerns

He is not the only voice voicing opinions ahead of the former president’s anticipated incarceration.

Authoring in a major newspaper, a different supporter, the former government official Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “brutal” end to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” time in office and alleged Brazil was about to witness “the greatest wrong in its history”.

“This is an unfairness that eats away the spirits of millions of Brazilians,” Wajngarten wrote.

Mixed Popular Reaction

This could be accurate considering the substantial following Bolsonaro retains on the conservative side. However his expected incarceration has also pleased the spirits of numerous others who feel he should be incarcerated for planning to stop the incoming president from assuming office – and even plotting to have him assassinated.

Reimont Otoni, a congressman for the sitting leader's Workers’ party, stated: “Nobody desires Bolsonaro to be placed in a hole. Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to be put in segregation. No one wishes Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to lie on concrete. We wish him to get dignified care – but proper treatment while incarcerated. He must not persist being his personal jailer for his whole life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro allies, who have for a long time celebrating the severe conditions of inmates, had suddenly become aware to their rights. “Recently has the far-right – which has consistently asserted that human rights are not for criminals – opted to tour a jail to discover what circumstances are actually like,” he stated.

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

Potential Prison Facilities

Despite talk that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which now holds about fourteen thousand prisoners, his more likely destination appears to be a adjacent prison for officers and other “unique” detainees referred to as Papudinha (Little Papuda).

Its cells are considerably more pleasant than those in the main prison, although nevertheless a far cry from the comfort Bolsonaro had while residing in the spectacular leader's home, approximately 20 kilometers away.

Based on reports, the accommodation Bolsonaro could likely reside in in Papudinha is about 24 square meters – roughly the dimensions of a couple of car spots – and features a 12 square meter restroom with a shower and a 12 square meter balcony. “Bolsonaro would be allowed to have a television and even a cooler in his cell as long as they were provided by his relatives,” sources suggested.

Political Responses

Senator Lucas condemned the speculated plan to send the former leader to Papuda as “an act of revenge” on the part of the judicial authority who led Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will determine his outcome in the {