Free to Bleed: Policies on Menstrual Products in US Women’s Prisons
Below is the link to the inaugural report on the compendium of rules around the provision of menstrual products in prison. Prisons are just one of the many places where menstruation is punished or used as a lever of power. Other types of confinement impacted by menstruation include jails, immigration facilities, juvenile facilities, military prisons, and more.
In this report, we examine the policies surrounding menstrual health in US women’s prisons. A review of policies can inform efforts to address menstrual injustice. This report shows that policies are split among different types, rarely being included in the handbooks that newly incarcerated people rely on to understand how they will get basic necessities. The policies that do exist on menstrual product provision often leave out significant details that have outsized impact on access and experience. These details have been informed by people who have had a period in prison through previous research, the Prison Flow Project’s work, and informal conversations.
Suggested Citation:
Vishniac, M., Moss, R.A., Tiggs, K, & Blemur, J. (2026) Free to Bleed: Rules on Menstrual Products in US Women’s Prisons. The Prison Flow Project. Available at: https://prisonflowproject.org/2026-compendium-snapshot-report/. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.25274.35521