The Big Picture

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.

AreaLawPolicyHandbook
FederalXXX
AlabamaXXX
AlaskaXX
ArizonaXX
ArkansasXX
CaliforniaX
ColoradoXXX
ConnecticutXX
DelawareX
FloridaX
GeorgiaX
HawaiiX
IdahoX
IllinoisX
IndianaX
Iowa
Kansas
KentuckyXX
LouisianaX
MaineX
MarylandXX
Massachusetts
MichiganX
MinnesotaXX
MississippiXX
MissouriXX
MontanaX
NebraskaXX
NevadaX
New Hampshire
New JerseyX
New MexicoXX
New YorkXXX
North CarolinaX
North DakotaX
OhioXX
OklahomaX
OregonX
PennsylvaniaX
Rhode IslandX
South CarolinaX
South DakotaX
TennesseeX
TexasX
UtahX
VermontX
VirginiaX
WashingtonX
West VirginiaX
WisconsinXX
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

  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • Connecticut
  • Kentucky
  • Maryland
  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Nebraska
  • New Mexico
  • Ohio
  • Wisconsin

Dotted

  • California
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Michigan
  • Montana
  • Nevada
  • New Jersey
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Virginia
  • Vermont
  • Washington
  • West Virginia

Blank

  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Wyoming

Page last updated 2 Jun, 2023