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He fought the legal system and the law prevailed.

Sixty days after getting a 27-year sentence for trying to “annihilate” Brazil’s democratic institutions, former president Jair Bolsonaro now looks destined for incarceration.

Imminent Incarceration

The adjudicated coup-monger – who had been under house arrest in his residence while a number of judicial steps and appeals play out – is largely predicted to be jailed in the coming days, amidst growing talk that he will be transferred to a well-known top-security prison.

Previous Statements on Inmates

Throughout Bolsonaro’s 40-year public life, the conservative former paratrooper showed little sympathy for Brazil’s jailed individuals.

“What’s the need to offer these lowlifes a comfortable existence?” he once pondered. “They ought to simply be messed, full-fucking-stop. That's my opinion.”

At another time, Bolsonaro stated: “Should you not wish to end up there, all you have to do is to avoid rape, kidnap or rob.”

Jail Destination Discussion

Yet the idea of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda high-security prison in Brasília has horrified supporters, a group of four this week inspected the complex in an obvious effort to discourage the supreme court from sending him there.

Izalci Lucas, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s political party who was among that group, said he expected the elderly leader to be incarcerated in the next 10 days and feared his destination could be Papuda.

He asserted Bolsonaro’s acute intestinal ailments – the result of a life-threatening stabbing during the last political campaign – signified it would be risky to keep the former president there. “His health is highly critical. He will not be able to handle it if they take him to Papuda … It could be dreadful,” he commented, who also worried about cramped cells and the condition of jail cuisine.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas recalled observing cells containing 40 inmates: “It's practically one square meter per inmate.

“We spoke to the convicts and they complain, unsurprisingly, of the horrible cuisine,” added the senator.

Allies Voice Concerns

Lucas is not the only voice speaking out prior to the former president’s expected imprisonment.

Authoring in a prominent newspaper, one more backer, the former cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “harsh” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” time in office and alleged Brazil was about to see “the greatest unfairness in its history”.

“This is an wrong that erodes the souls of millions of Brazilians,” the former minister said.

Mixed Public Opinion

That may be accurate considering the substantial following Bolsonaro holds on the conservative side. Yet his predicted jailing has also warmed the spirits of numerous others who feel he deserves to be imprisoned for planning to stop the elected leader from becoming president – and additionally scheming to have him murdered.

Congressman Otoni, a congressman for the incumbent leader's political party, commented: “Nobody wants Bolsonaro to be sent in a hole. No one wants Bolsonaro to be put in isolation. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We want him to get proper handling – but respectful handling in prison. He cannot carry on being his self-appointed guard for his lifetime.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro supporters, who have for a long time applauding the harsh handling of convicts, had abruptly woken up to their entitlements. “Recently has the conservative fringe – which has always argued that basic rights are not for criminals – opted to inspect a jail to discover what circumstances are truly like,” he said.

“The former president is a criminal,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he earned “degrading, demeaning treatment”.

Likely Jail Environment

Regardless of rumors that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which now contains about 14,000 detainees, his probable destination looks to be a adjacent jail for police officers and other “unique” prisoners called Papudinha (Little Papuda).

Its cells are far more comfortable than those in the main prison, although still a distant from the luxury Bolsonaro experienced while residing in the spectacular leader's home, approximately 20 kilometers away.

Based on sources, the cell Bolsonaro could expect to inhabit in Papudinha has about 24 sq metres – about the size of a couple of car spots – and contains a 12 sq metre WC with a bathing area and a 130 square foot veranda. “He could be allowed to have a set and additionally a cooler in his quarters as long as they were supplied by his family,” the report stated.

Ideological Responses

The lawmaker condemned the speculated plan to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “a type of payback” on the part of the presiding magistrate who led Bolsonaro’s legal case and will determine his future in the {