What is Menstrual Equity in Prisons All About?
The Problem
The average job in federal prison pays 18 cents an hour. If you work 10 hours, you earn $1.80. The average amount of hours worked each week is 25 hours, earning only $4.50.
Failure to Serve
There is a lack of legislation that provides basic feminine hygiene items to incarcerated women. Women who ask for more than one or two pads per day are often forced to see a prison doctor, undergo a pelvic exam. This is unacceptable and needs to change. Feminine hygiene products are essential for women’s health and well-being, yet there is a significant gap in legislation that fails to provide these basic necessities for incarcerated women. As a result, many face serious health issues due to the lack of access to fresh pads or tampons. This treatment towards incarcerated women is completely unacceptable. It not only disregards their basic human rights but also puts their physical health in jeopardy.
Read More
For specific information about your state, the legislation and compliance, visit the prisonflowproject.com.
Women’s Health Magazine, featured an article titled The Sickening Truth About Getting Your Period in Prison. Read Here.
Newsweek also featured an opinion piece, I Was A Prisoner.
Access to Menstrual Products isn’t a Luxury. It’s a Basic Human Right. Read Here.
“The misery and degradation of asking a male guard for a tampon and being denied is inexplicable. I even heard some girls were asked to give sexual favors in exchange for a box of pads. Prison is miserable but begging a creep for basic supplies is hell.”
That’s why wardens keep sanitation just out of reach…