Brazilian Ex-President Bolsonaro Seeks To Reduce 27-Year Sentence Through Reading Books
In a bizarre attempt to reduce his 27-year prison sentence, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's lawyers have resorted to reading books as part of a literary device in the country's penal code. This is not a novel strategy for a self-proclaimed non-reader like Bolsonaro, who once claimed he didn't have time to read and hadn't picked up a book since 2019.
Bolsonaro's case highlights the often-overlooked aspect of Brazil's penal code, which allows inmates to earn four days off their sentence for every title they read. This is exactly what happened when a supreme court judge authorized Bolsonaro's participation in the scheme after his lawyers made the request.
The reading list approved by the court includes works that tackle sensitive topics such as Indigenous rights, racism, environmental issues, and the violent legacy of Brazil's 1964-85 dictatorship – a period during which Bolsonaro openly supported the regime. The books on the list range from Ana Maria Gonçalves' 950-page "Um Defeito de Cor" to Philip Bunting's children's non-fiction picture book "Democracy!".
To benefit from the scheme, prisoners like Bolsonaro must provide written reports of what they've read. This is a unique approach that seems unlikely to win over fans among Brazil's notorious far-right politicians and their followers, who have long been critical of democracy, social justice, and human rights.
Bolsonaro's fondness for reading books appears questionable at best. In 2018, he couldn't even name his favorite book during the presidential election campaign. His interests lie elsewhere – with a book about Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ustra, a notorious army colonel accused of torture during the dictatorship. This title is not on the approved reading list but does feature Marcelo Rubens Paiva's "I'm Still Here", a work that deals with the plight of prisoners who disappeared into such torture centers.
As Bolsonaro navigates his way through Brazil's justice system, it remains to be seen how long he will continue to read and whether the four-day sentence reduction scheme will have a lasting impact on his conviction.
In a bizarre attempt to reduce his 27-year prison sentence, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's lawyers have resorted to reading books as part of a literary device in the country's penal code. This is not a novel strategy for a self-proclaimed non-reader like Bolsonaro, who once claimed he didn't have time to read and hadn't picked up a book since 2019.
Bolsonaro's case highlights the often-overlooked aspect of Brazil's penal code, which allows inmates to earn four days off their sentence for every title they read. This is exactly what happened when a supreme court judge authorized Bolsonaro's participation in the scheme after his lawyers made the request.
The reading list approved by the court includes works that tackle sensitive topics such as Indigenous rights, racism, environmental issues, and the violent legacy of Brazil's 1964-85 dictatorship – a period during which Bolsonaro openly supported the regime. The books on the list range from Ana Maria Gonçalves' 950-page "Um Defeito de Cor" to Philip Bunting's children's non-fiction picture book "Democracy!".
To benefit from the scheme, prisoners like Bolsonaro must provide written reports of what they've read. This is a unique approach that seems unlikely to win over fans among Brazil's notorious far-right politicians and their followers, who have long been critical of democracy, social justice, and human rights.
Bolsonaro's fondness for reading books appears questionable at best. In 2018, he couldn't even name his favorite book during the presidential election campaign. His interests lie elsewhere – with a book about Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ustra, a notorious army colonel accused of torture during the dictatorship. This title is not on the approved reading list but does feature Marcelo Rubens Paiva's "I'm Still Here", a work that deals with the plight of prisoners who disappeared into such torture centers.
As Bolsonaro navigates his way through Brazil's justice system, it remains to be seen how long he will continue to read and whether the four-day sentence reduction scheme will have a lasting impact on his conviction.
. Like, if someone says they don't even know what their favorite book is how are we supposed to trust them reading all this stuff? Its not like he's gonna be a bookworm or anything 
. And the fact that its approved by the court makes me wonder if theres some other motive at play here 
. Like, maybe they just feel sorry for him because of who his dad was 
. Anywayz, I guess only time will tell how this all goes down 
. if anything it's just another way to let him get away with some stuff. and what's up with the reading list, Indigenous rights and racism? really trying to educate the man or just pander to his fans who love that kinda stuff? 
. bolsonaro's not exactly known for being a bookworm so I'm not holding my breath for him to finish all these books before he gets out 
.
. cant help but feel like hes doin it more 4 the press attention than actualy gettin smarter tho 
i mean, who wouldn't want to read books about indigenous rights or environmental issues before serving time 
... i mean who tries to reduce their prison sentence by reading books lol... sounds like a pretty unique approach to getting out of trouble tho? 
.
! I mean, I get that they're trying to reduce his sentence, but reading books about Indigenous rights and environmental issues? That's like, super out of character for Bolsonaro 
. But hey, if reading books gets him off the hook that easily, more power to him 
.
His lawyers are definitely creative, using this loophole to his advantage. The selection of books on the list is pretty eclectic, ranging from serious topics like Indigenous rights and environmental issues to children's non-fiction 
.
But seriously, Bolsonaro's gotta be like "what have I gotten myself into" when he sees all those books on his list... 
What's next? A PhD in environmental science or something? And those book choices? Really? Indigenous rights and racism? That's like throwing him a bone, trying to make him feel somewhat guilty about his past actions 
. I'm not buying it, though. He was always bad at this non-reader thing back in the day