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He battled the legal system and the legal system triumphed.

A couple of months subsequent to getting a 27-year sentence for seeking to “destroy” the nation's democratic institutions, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro at last looks jail-bound.

Imminent Jailing

The adjudicated plotter – who's been subject to residential detention in his mansion while a number of legal procedures and challenges unfold – is widely expected to be incarcerated in the near future, amidst growing speculation that he will be sent to a notorious top-security prison.

Past Statements on Convicts

Over Bolsonaro’s 40-year time in politics, the conservative former military man showed little compassion for Brazil’s jailed individuals.

“Why should we offer these lowlifes a easy time?” he once mused. “They should just get messed, period. That’s what I reckon.”

On another occasion, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “If you don’t want to finish there, all you have to do is to avoid sexual assault, kidnap or rob.”

Jail Location Debate

However the possibility of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda top-security prison in Brasília has appalled backers, several of whom this week toured the prison in an obvious attempt to discourage the high court from banishing him there.

The senator, a senator from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was among that group, claimed he expected the 70-year-old leader to be jailed in the next 10 days and was concerned his destination could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s acute gut issues – the outcome of a life-threatening assault during the last presidential campaign – implied it would be hazardous to keep the ex-leader there. “His health is very grave. He won’t be able to manage if they take him to Papuda … It could be terrible,” he commented, who also worried about cramped cells and the quality of prison meals.

During his tour Papuda, Lucas noted observing cells containing four dozen prisoners: “That’s virtually one meter squared per inmate.

“We spoke to the prisoners and they protest, naturally, of the terrible food,” remarked the senator.

Allies Speak Out

The senator isn't the only voice voicing opinions prior to the one-time head of state's anticipated detention.

Penning in a prominent newspaper, one more backer, the ex- government official Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “severe” end to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” time in office and asserted Brazil was about to witness “the biggest political injustice in its record”.

“It is an injustice that gnaws the hearts of many Brazilian citizens,” he stated.

Divided Public Opinion

It is possibly accurate due to the significant backing Bolsonaro holds on the right-wing. But his predicted jailing has also pleased the hearts of millions individuals who feel he ought to be jailed for plotting to stop the elected leader from assuming office – and additionally conspiring to have him killed.

Reimont Otoni, a congressman for the sitting administration's allied group, stated: “No one wants Bolsonaro to be placed in a dungeon. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to be put in segregation. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to lie on concrete. We desire him to receive dignified handling – but respectful handling in prison. He must not carry on being his self-appointed guard for his lifetime.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro supporters, who have spent years praising the severe conditions of inmates, had suddenly woken up to their entitlements. “Just now has the conservative fringe – which has consistently argued that civil liberties are not for offenders – chosen to tour a penitentiary to discover what conditions are actually like,” he said.

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

Likely Prison Conditions

Regardless of speculation that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which presently contains about fourteen thousand inmates, his expected location looks to be a close jail for law enforcement and other “special” prisoners referred to as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

The accommodations are much more comfortable than those in the larger jail, although still a distant from the opulence Bolsonaro enjoyed while living in the impressive leader's home, about a short distance away.

Based on reports, the accommodation Bolsonaro could likely inhabit in Papudinha is about 260 square feet – about the area of vehicle spaces – and features a 130 square foot WC with a shower and a 12 sq metre terrace. “The ex-president might be permitted to have a set and additionally a small fridge in his quarters as long as they were supplied by his family,” the report stated.

Ideological Reactions

The lawmaker criticized the rumoured plan to send the ex-president to Papuda as “a type of retaliation” on the part of the presiding magistrate who oversaw Bolsonaro’s legal case and will rule on his fate in the {