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He battled the legal system and the law won.

A couple of months following receiving a quarter-century plus sentence for attempting to “annihilate” Brazil’s democratic institutions, former president Jair Bolsonaro finally appears headed to prison.

Anticipated Jailing

The convicted instigator – who's been living under house arrest in his residence while a number of judicial steps and petitions play out – is widely expected to be jailed in the next few days, amid increasing rumors that he will be moved to a well-known top-security prison.

Past Statements on Prisoners

Throughout Bolsonaro’s long time in politics, the conservative ex- soldier exhibited minimal compassion for the country's jailed individuals.

“For what reason must we provide those scoundrels a comfortable existence?” he once mused. “They ought to simply be messed, end of story. That's my view.”

At another time, Bolsonaro declared: “Should you not wish to end up there, you simply need is to avoid rape, abduction or theft.”

Prison Location Debate

However the idea of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda top-security prison in Brasília has shocked allies, a group of four this week toured the prison in an apparent bid to discourage the judiciary from sending him there.

Izalci Lucas, a senator from Bolsonaro’s political party who was one of the visitors, said he predicted the septuagenarian figure to be incarcerated in the next 10 days and feared his assigned prison could be Papuda.

He asserted Bolsonaro’s serious digestive ailments – the consequence of a near-fatal knife attack during the 2018 election race – signified it would be dangerous to keep the ex-leader there. “His [health] situation is highly critical. He cannot to cope if they move him to Papuda … It could be terrible,” said the senator, who also expressed concern about packed cells and the quality of prison meals.

During his tour Papuda, Lucas remembered seeing cells holding 40 prisoners: “It's almost one meter squared per prisoner.

“We conversed to the inmates and they complain, unsurprisingly, of the awful food,” continued the senator.

Supporters Voice Concerns

The senator isn't the lone figure voicing opinions ahead of the ex-leader's anticipated incarceration.

Authoring in a prominent newspaper, one more backer, the ex- government official Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “harsh” end to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” political career and claimed Brazil was about to witness “the biggest unfairness in its history”.

“It is an injustice that gnaws the souls of many of Brazilians,” he stated.

Divided Public Reaction

That may be accurate due to the considerable backing Bolsonaro maintains on the right-wing. Yet his predicted incarceration has also pleased the hearts of many individuals who think he deserves to be jailed for planning to prevent his successor from taking power – and also scheming to have him assassinated.

Reimont Otoni, a representative for the incumbent leader's political party, commented: “Nobody desires Bolsonaro to be put in a dungeon. No one wishes Bolsonaro to be sent in isolation. Nobody wants Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We wish him to get respectful handling – but proper handling behind bars. He can’t continue being his own prison warden for his whole life.”

He observed how Bolsonaro backers, who have spent years praising the tough treatment of inmates, had unexpectedly realized to their rights. “Just now has the extreme right – which has always asserted that basic rights should not be for criminals – decided to tour a jail to find out what conditions are truly like,” he stated.

“Bolsonaro is a lawbreaker,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he deserved “shameful, demeaning treatment”.

Potential Incarceration Environment

Regardless of rumors that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which currently contains about fourteen thousand inmates, his more likely assigned facility seems to be a close penitentiary for law enforcement and other “unique” inmates known as Papudinha (Little Papuda).

Its cells are considerably more pleasant than those in the primary facility, although still a far cry from the luxury Bolsonaro experienced while residing in the impressive presidential palace, about a short distance away.

According to reports, the accommodation Bolsonaro could anticipate reside in in Papudinha is about 24 sq metres – about the dimensions of a couple of car spots – and includes a 12 sq metre restroom with a water facility and a 12 sq metre terrace. “The ex-president might be permitted to have a TV and additionally a minibar in his quarters as long as they were provided by his relatives,” the report stated.

Ideological Responses

The lawmaker criticized the rumoured idea to send the ex-president to Papuda as “a form of payback” on the part of the judicial authority who led Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will determine his future in the {