Bleeding Behind Bars: It Costs to Menstruate

Overview

Despite federal reforms like the First Step Act, incarcerated people across the country still struggle to access basic menstrual products, with only 25 states mandating that they be provided free of charge. This fact sheet, Bleeding Behind Bars: It Costs to Menstruate, examines the legislative landscape across all 50 states, the steep commissary prices that can consume over half of an incarcerated person’s monthly income, and firsthand accounts of the indignity this crisis creates.