The Big Picture

An image of the U.S. which is color-coded to show which jurisdictions mention prison provision of menstrual products in the laws, policies, and inmate handbooks.
Jurisdictions which mention prison access to menstrual products in every category (black): Alabama, Colorado, New York, and the federal government.
Jurisdictions which mention prison access to menstrual products in two categories (square-pattern): Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, and Virginia.
Jurisdictions which mention prison access to menstrual products in one categorie (dotted): Alaska, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawai'i, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Jurisdictions which do not mention prison access to menstrual products at all are (blank): Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming. — A map of the U.S. showing which states as well as the federal government have protected access to menstrual items for female inmates in laws, policies, and handbooks.

This site breaks down whether states and the federal government mention access to menstrual products for incarcerated women in laws, policies, and handbooks. The image above and the table and group lists below show which states have protected access in how many of these locations. Blank states do not mention access in any of these locations. Dotted states mention access in one of these locations. Square-pattern states mention access in two of these locations. Black is used only for jurisdictions where access is mentioned in all three locations: law, policies, and handbooks.

Only four areas protect access to menstrual products for incarcerated women in all three places: Alabama, Colorado, New York, and the federal government. A large number of states are doted only because they have recently passed legislation, and there are states in a variety of sections of the U.S. which do not mention menstrual products at all-such as the northeast, mid-Atlantic, southeast, and central plains.

Area	Law	Policy	Handbook
Federal	X	X	X
Alabama	X	X	X
Alaska		X
Arizona	X	X
Arkansas	X		X
California	X
Colorado	X	X	X
Connecticut	X	X
Delaware	X
Florida	X
Georgia		X
Hawaii		X
Idaho		X
Illinois			X
Indiana		X
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky		X
Louisiana	X
Maine	X
Maryland	X	X
Massachusetts
Michigan		X
Minnesota	X
Mississippi	X		X
Missouri	X		X
Montana		X
Nebraska		X
Nevada		X
New Hampshire
New Jersey	X
New Mexico		X
New York	X	X	X
North Carolina	X
North Dakota		X
Ohio		X
Oklahoma		X
Oregon	X
Pennsylvania		X
Rhode Island		X
South Carolina	X
South Dakota
Tennessee	X
Texas	X
Utah		X
Vermont
Virginia	X	X
Washington		X
West Virginia			X
Wisconsin			X
Wyoming

Which areas mention giving menstrual products to incarcerated women in their laws, policies, and handbooks. For a table with linked citations, please click here.

Black

Federal Government
Alabama
Colorado
New York

Square-pattern

Arizona
Arkansas
Connecticut
Maryland
Mississippi
Missouri
Virginia

Dotted

Alaska
California
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Michigan
Minnesota
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Jersey
New Mexico
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin

Blank

Iowa
Kansas
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
South Dakota
Vermont
Wyoming

Page last updated 28 May, 2022