The Big Picture (in detail)

Area	Law	Excerpt	Rule	Excerpt	Manual	Excerpt
Federal	18 U.S.C. § 4042 (First Step Act)	Free menstrual products for prisoners.	Female Offender Manual; Operations Memo 003-2020	Wardens must provide a variety of free menstrual products. (same text as memo)	FCI Greenville Camp; FDC Houston (both); FDC SeaTac; FCI Waseca	Products are provided in the housing unit or upon request.
Alabama	Ala. Code § 14-3-44 (2019); Ala. Code § 14-6-19 (2019)	Requires county sheriffs and the Department of Corrections to provide menstrual products upon request.	AR 338	Each inmate will be issued menstrual products at intake.	Yes	Menstrual products are unlimited and are continuously stocked on all units.
Alaska			806.02	When admitted to the institution, the Department shall give each prisoner menstrual products.	Yes	p. 49 “Authorized Property List…Sanitary Napkins/Tampons – box…quantities as required, prescribed or permitted by Medical or approved by the Superintendent.”
Arizona	Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 31-201.01 (2021)	Free menstrual products are available to female inmates upon request.	DO 909	Female inmates get menstrual products monthly.
Arkansas	Ark. Code Ann. § 12-32-103 (2019)	All facilities must have a policy for provision of menstrual products for female inmates and detainees.			Yes	The ADC provides feminine hygiene items.
California	Cal. Penal Code § 3409 (2020); Cal. Penal Code § 4023.5 (2020)	All incarcerated people who menstruate must be provided menstrual products upon request.
Colorado	Colo. Rev. Stat. § 17-1-113.6 (2019)	Free menstrual products shall be provided to those in custody upon request.	AR 850-11	All facilities will provide menstrual products.	Yes	You will be issued one hygiene kit which includes menstrual products.
Connecticut	Conn. Gen. Stat. § 18-69e (2018)	Inmates must be provided with free menstrual products upon request in a quantity that is appropriate to the health care needs of the inmate.	6.10	Indigent inmates will get sanitary napkins/tampons, as appropriate.
Delaware	Del. Code tit. 29, § 8903 (2018)	Department of Correction must provide free tampons and pads to prisoners.
Florida	Fla. Stat. § 944.242 (2019)	All correctional facilities must make menstrual products available for free and in an appropriate quantity.
Georgia			Policy 206.04	Medical is responsible for ensuring that a complete and detailed list of offenders with special feminine hygiene needs is kept and that profiles are given to all such offenders so that all such offenders receive all required feminine hygiene items as prescribed by Medical….Gender non-conforming offenders, including transgender offenders, may request specific hygiene items appropriate to their needs and such requests will be reviewed by the Warden and either approved or disapproved…Toilet paper, sanitary napkins, and tampons will be readily available to offenders in the housing units…The Sanitation Officer will ensure daily that the hygiene cabinet in each dorm is stocked with toilet paper, sanitary napkins, and tampons always.
Hawaii			COR 17.04	Facility staff will issue all female inmates sanitary napkins, tampons and panty liners upon intake and these are kept in the housing units.
Idaho			306.02.01.001	Sanitary napkins for female inmates are issued as needed.
Illinois					Logan; Fox Valley	Free menstrual products are distributed on state-pay week and they are also available for purchase at the Offender Commissary.; Sanitary pads are available at the Shift area.
Indiana			02-01-104	Personal hygiene kits include sanitary napkins and tampons in female facilities.
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky	Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 441.005; Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 441.055	All county jails and correctional or detention facilities shall include requirements for…an adequate number of hygiene products for female prisoners.	CPP 14.2	Prisoners get free feminine hygiene items when needed.
Louisiana	La. Stat. Ann. § 15:892.1 (2018)	Requires free menstrual products to be provided to all incarcerated women in an appropriate quantity in the housing units and the medical area of the facility.
Maine	Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. 34-A § 3031-9 (2021)	Inmates have access to free menstrual products.
Maryland	Md. Code, Corr. Servs. § 9-616 (2018); Md. Code, Corr. Servs. § 4-214 (2018)	Each correctional facility must have a written policy in place providing free tampons and pads to inmates upon admission, a routine basis, and request.	OPS.175.0002	Free menstrual products will be made available within each housing unit and detainee work area.
Massachusetts
Michigan			03 .03.130	Inmates will be provided or able to purchase sanitary napkins.
Minnesota	Minn. Stat. § 241.021 (2021)	Female inmates in state correctional facilities must be provided with feminine hygiene products per a process developed by the commissioner of corrections.			Yes	p.7 “Feminine hygiene products are available for free to all offenders. You have the option to purchase name brand items through canteen.”
Mississippi	Miss. Code Ann. § 47-5-1505 (2021); Miss. Code Ann. § 47-5-1515 (2021)	The Department of Corrections shall ensure that sufficient personal hygiene products are available at each facility for all incarcerated women.			Yes	Female inmates will be issued sanitary napkins
Missouri	Mo. Rev. Stat. § 217.199 (2021)	Anyone who holds a person in custody shall ensure that an appropriate quantity of free feminine hygiene products are available while confined in any correctional center and these products must conform to industry standards.			Chillicothe; Chillicothe Treatment Housing	State sanitary pads are provided.
Montana			DOC 4.4.1	Each facility will supply menstrual products upon admission.
Nebraska	Neb. Rev. Stat. § 47-1008 (2022)	Detention facilities shall supply any female prisoner with a feminine hygiene product free of charge.	111.01	Menstrual products will be made available and free for indigent inmates.
Nevada			AR 705	Menstrual products will be given out by the institution regularly and upon admission.
New Hampshire
New Jersey	N.J. Rev. Stat. § 30:1B-6.8 (2018)	The Commissioner of Corrections must provide free menstrual products upon request.
New Mexico			CD-150200	Menstrual products will be issued as needed.	Springer	p.13 “Only indigent inmates are eligible to receive certain personal items from the Canteen, free of charge….The hygiene kit will be composed of the following items and will only be issued one (1) time….1- Sanitary Napkins”
New York	NY Cor. § 625 (2019)	Free menstrual products must be provided to individuals in state and local correctional facilities where women are detained or confined.	7 CRR-NY 1704.5	Female inmates get sanitary napkins upon reception.	Albion Bedford Hills	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.” Bedford – p.38 “Toilet paper, sanitary napkins, soap, and toothpaste are delivered to each unit once a month and are distributed to each offender. You are responsible for monitoring these supplies so they last the full month.”
North Carolina	N.C. Gen. Stat. § 148-25.1 (2021); N.C. Gen. Stat. § 148-25.4 (2021)	Female inmates get free menstrual products.
North Dakota			Standard 68: Personal Hygiene Products	Correctional facilities shall provide each inmate detained for more than twenty-four hours menstrual products.
Ohio			61-PRP-02	Inmates will get menstrual products upon admission and weekly for indigent inmates.	Ohio Reformatory for Women	ORW – p.51 “You will receive…hygiene kit…in reception the day you are addmitted to the institution….the hygiene kit contains…sanitary napkins.” (Also available for indigent inmates)
Oklahoma			OP-030501	Menstrual products will be provided through reception, canteen services or as necessary to provide for continual adequate hygiene.
Oregon	Or. Rev. Stat. § 169.635 (2019)	Regional correctional facilities must make free menstrual products available to prisoners.
Pennsylvania			DC-ADM 815	Female inmates shall be provided free menstrual products when needed and upon admission and they will be made available on the housing unit.
Rhode Island			18.47-3 DOC	Menstrual products are provided for all female inmates.
South Carolina	S.C. Code Ann. § 24-13-35 (2020)	Correctional facilities, local detention facilities, and prison or work camps must make menstrual products available at each facility. Indigent inmates get them for free.
South Dakota			DOC 1.3.C.4	Maxi Pads (18 ct) and Tampons (40 ct) not available to maximum (MX) security inmates and are available for purchase in commissary (not state-issued).
Tennessee	Tenn. Code Ann. § 41-21-245 (2019)	Requires custodians of all incarcerated women to provide and in a reasonable quantity free menstrual products in the housing units and medical areas of correctional facilities.
Texas	Tex. Govt. Code § 501.0675 (2019)	Requires Department of Criminal Justice to provide up to 10 menstrual products per day free of charge upon request.
Utah			FD15	Subject to security restrictions inmates approved for indigent status may receive free menstrual products.
Vermont					Yes	p.26 “Inmate Allowable Property Matrix…Sanitary Napkins/Tampons… One month’s supply… Commissary purchase except indigent inmates. Females only.”
Virginia	2018 Va. Laws Ch. 815 (H.B. 83)	Requires that the Board of Corrections and the Department of Corrections adopt and implement a standard to ensure the provision of menstrual products.
Washington			440.080	Newly received offenders processed through Reception Diagnostic Centers will receive an initial issue of free menstrual products.
West Virginia					Yes	Upon assignment to a housing unit, each inmate will be issued menstrual products.
Wisconsin			309.24.01	Soap, toilet tissue, clothing and feminine hygiene items shall be made available when needed.	Yes	Feminine hygiene items and bags are available in each housing unit upon request.
Wyoming

The full table of all laws, rules, and prison handbook mentions of menstrual products for all 50 states and the federal government.

Page last updated 2 Jun, 2023