State Prison Information

This is a closer look at the state women’s facilities and whether they explicitly mention the provision of menstrual products like pads, tampons, and panty liners to inmates in their prisoner handbooks, where available, or not. Vague references to ‘hygiene products’ or ‘hygiene items’ are not counted.

Information for all facilities is from each state’s Department of Corrections website, all of which are listed on the Relevant Links page. Note that several states have handbooks for friends and family of inmates, which are not the same as inmate handbooks and do not provide as much detail.

StateMentioned in HandbookRelevant Excerpt
AlabamaYes
(Nov 1, 2017 version)
p. 10-11 “Hygiene Items – Necessary toilet articles will be supplied for you or you can purchase preferred items from the canteen. Necessary items include toothbrush, toothpaste, bar soap, hair shampoo, hair pressing oil, deodorant, disposable razor, shaving cream, a comb and brush, shower shoes, feminine hygiene items (sanitary napkins and tampons), and toilet paper. Both feminine hygiene items and toilet paper are unlimited and are continuously stocked on all units. If you are running low or out of these, please tell a staff member.”
AlaskaNo
(May 2019 version)
ArizonaNo
(Apr 8, 2019 version)
ArkansasYes
(Mar 2020 version)
p. 13 “Personal Clothing
The ADC provides uniforms, undergarments, a pair of shoes, soap,
toothbrush, toothpaste, safety razor with blade, bath towels and feminine
hygiene items.”
CaliforniaNo – Central California Women’s Facility, California Institution for Women, Folsom State Prison
(CCWF – Jan 16, 2020 version, CIW – Oct 2013 version, FSP – Feb 2021 version)
ColoradoYes – Denver Women’s Facility , No – La Vista
(DWF – Jul 2021 version, La Vista – as of Aug 24, 2021)
p. 4 “You will be issued one hygiene kit which includes: soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, shampoo, feminine hygiene pads, and toilet paper.”
ConnecticutNo
(May 2021 version)
DelawareNo
(Feb 7, 2014 version)

When requesting updated version, “the Delaware Department of Correction does not post online or make available to the public the Inmate Handbooks for our facilities.” (Aug 6, 2021)
District of ColumbiaNo
(As of Jul 28, 2021)
FloridaNo
(Nov 9, 2018 version)
GeorgiaNo
(As of Jul 28, 2021)
HawaiiNo
(Feb 15, 2017 version)
IdahoNo
(As of Jul 28, 2021)
IllinoisYes – Logan, Fox Valley
(Logan – Jul 2020 version, Fox – Oct 2021 version)
No – Decatur, Logan Reception & Classification
(Decatur – May 10, 2021 version, Logan R&C – as of 29 Oct, 2021)
Logan – p. 29 “State–issued feminine hygiene products are distributed on state-pay week at no charge to the offender. Feminine hygiene products are also available for purchase at the Offender Commissary.”
Fox – p. 37 “Sanitary pads are available at the Shift area.”
IndianaNo
(2016 version)
IowaNo
(May 2018 version)
KansasNo
(10 Jun, 2019 version)
KentuckyNo
(2020 version)
LouisianaNo
(2021 version)
MaineNo
(Sep 2021 version)
MarylandNo
(2020 version)
MassachusettsNo – General Inmate, Framingham, Shattuck Hospital Unit
(Gen – Dec 13, 2012 version, Framingham – Aug 2021 version, Shattuck- Mar 26, 2021 version)
MichiganNo
(Feb 20, 2018 version)
MinnesotaNo – General Inmate, Shakopee
(Gen – 2012 version, Shakopee – Jul 2019 version)
MississippiYes
(Jun 2016 version)
Ch VII, p. 15 “Female inmates will be issued sanitary napkins”
MissouriYes – Chillicothe, Chillicothe Treatment Housing
(Chillicothe – Oct 23, 2013 version, CTH – Feb 8, 2013 version)
p. 11 “State toilet paper, soap and sanitary pads are provided.”
(p. 10 in treatment housing handbook)
MontanaNo
(Jan 2019 version)
NebraskaNo
(Jun 1, 2015 version)
NevadaNo
(Jul, 2020 version)
New HampshireNo
(2012 version, being revised as of Aug 13, 2021)
New JerseyNo
(As of Jul 28, 2021)
New MexicoNo – Springer, Western
(Springer – May 13, 2021 version, Western – Dec 01, 2021 version)
New YorkAlbion – Yes
(May 2019 version)
Bedford Hills – No
(May 2021 version)
Lakeview – No
(July 2020 version)
Albion – p. 9 “On the fourth Saturday of each month, the following supplies are issued….2 twelve packs of sanitary napkins….Inmates who require more than the standard issue of sanitary napkins will need authorization from medical.”
North CarolinaNo – NC Institution for Women, Canary Unit)
(NCIW – Aug 18, 2020 version, Canary – Dec 8, 2020)
North DakotaNo
(Aug 2021 version)
OhioNo – ORW, DCI, NERC
(Jan 2021 versions)
OklahomaNo
(Sep 2021 version)
OregonNo
(As of Jul 28, 2021)
PennsylvaniaNo – General Inmate, Cambridge Springs, Muncy, Quehanna
(Gen – 2017 version, CS – 2020 version, Muncy – 2018 version, Quehanna – 2017 version)
Rhode IslandNo
(As of Aug 24, 2021)
South CarolinaNo
(Jul 2021 version)
South DakotaNo
(Apr 2021 version)
TennesseeNo
(Aug 2018 version)
TexasNo
(Feb 2017 version)
UtahNo
(Mar 21, 2017 version)
VermontNo
(Sep 19, 2011 version)
VirginiaNo – VCCW, FCCW
(VCCW – Jun 26, 2020 version, FCCW – May 2021 version)
WashingtonNo
(As of Jul 28, 2021)
West VirginiaYes
(Apr 01, 2019)
p.24 (76/91) “Upon assignment to a housing unit, each inmate will be issued or made available the following personal hygiene items: feminine hygiene”
WisconsinYes
(Mar 1, 2017 version)
p. 9 “Feminine hygiene items and bags are available in each housing unit upon request.”
WyomingNo
(2016 version)
All information from state corrections department websites, the University of Michigan Law Policy Clearinghouse (when no handbook found on the state website), and the product of state FOIA requests.

Page last updated 14 Feb, 2022