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He contested justice and the legal system prevailed.

Sixty days following being handed a twenty-seven-year sentence for seeking to “eradicate” Brazil’s democracy, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro now looks headed to prison.

Anticipated Jailing

The found-guilty plotter – who's been subject to house arrest in his estate while a number of judicial steps and appeals unfold – is widely expected to be jailed in the coming days, during mounting rumors that he will be sent to a notorious top-security prison.

Historical Comments on Prisoners

Throughout Bolsonaro’s 40-year political career, the conservative former soldier exhibited minimal sympathy for the country's inmates.

“What’s the need to provide those lowlifes a comfortable existence?” he once pondered. “They should just get messed, end of story. That’s what I reckon.”

In another instance, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “Should you not wish to end up behind bars, all you have to do is to avoid rape, kidnap or rob.”

Prison Location Debate

Yet the prospect of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda maximum security prison in Brasília has horrified supporters, a group of four this week visited the prison in an apparent effort to discourage the high court from banishing him there.

The senator, a senator from Bolsonaro’s political party who was one of the visitors, said he anticipated the elderly figure to be jailed in the following week and a half and was concerned his location could be Papuda.

He asserted Bolsonaro’s serious digestive ailments – the consequence of a life-threatening knife attack during the last presidential campaign – implied it would be risky to keep the one-time head of state there. “His condition is extremely serious. He will not be able to handle it if they take him to Papuda … It will be dreadful,” he added, who also worried about overcrowded cells and the standard of inmate food.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas noted seeing cells accommodating 40 detainees: “That’s almost one square metre per detainee.

“We spoke to the convicts and they complain, of course, of the terrible food,” remarked the senator.

Supporters Speak Out

The senator isn't the only voice voicing opinions prior to the former president’s expected incarceration.

Penning in a leading daily, another ally, the ex- communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “harsh” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” political career and asserted Brazil was about to experience “the greatest political injustice in its history”.

“This is an wrong that eats away the hearts of millions Brazilian citizens,” the former minister said.

Divided Popular Response

This could be true given the considerable following Bolsonaro holds on the right-wing. Yet his anticipated incarceration has also pleased the feelings of many others who think he should be jailed for planning to prevent his successor from assuming office – and additionally scheming to have him killed.

Congressman Otoni, a representative for the sitting administration's allied group, stated: “No one wishes Bolsonaro to be put in a dungeon. Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to be put in isolation. No one wishes Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We want him to receive dignified treatment – but respectful care in prison. He can’t carry on being his self-appointed guard for his lifetime.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro allies, who have for a long time applauding the tough conditions of inmates, had abruptly realized to their entitlements. “Recently has the conservative fringe – which has repeatedly claimed that basic rights should not be for lawbreakers – decided to visit a prison to find out what conditions are actually like,” he said.

“The former president is a lawbreaker,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he merited “shameful, demeaning handling”.

Likely Jail Conditions

In spite of rumors that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which presently houses about 14,000 prisoners, his more likely destination looks to be a nearby jail for police officers and other “particular” inmates known as Papudinha (Small Papuda).

Its cells are much more adequate than those in the larger jail, although nevertheless a distant from the comfort Bolsonaro experienced while residing in the stunning presidential palace, around a short distance away.

According to reports, the cell Bolsonaro could likely inhabit in Papudinha is about 24 square meters – about the area of vehicle spaces – and features a 12 sq metre restroom with a shower and a 12 square meter veranda. “The ex-president might be permitted to have a TV and even a small fridge in his quarters as long as they were provided by his relatives,” the report suggested.

Partisan Comments

He criticized the talked-about plan to send the ex-president to Papuda as “a type of revenge” on the part of the supreme court judge who oversaw Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will rule on his outcome in the {