Period Poverty in Prisons

While some people believe that life in prison is luxurious, routine and tranquil, punctuated by television, food and visits to the visiting room, the reality is quite different… This vision is clearly erroneous for a plethora of reasons, including a lack of financial resources, which push some prison administrations to make choices that run counter to the dignity of the individual. This text will focus on the extreme menstrual precariousness that has unfortunately lasted for decades within prisons, for the reasons we will set out (note that the list is non-exhaustive).

Firstly, there are few studies and reports on our subject in Canada, so we’re going to use what little information we have, but also supplement it with that available in other countries; in particular, we’re going to draw on statistical data from prisons in the USA and France. Secondly, the prison world is a binary one: we talk about so-called women’s prisons and so-called men’s prisons without taking gender diversity into account, even though we know that not all menstruating people are women. Let’s not forget that women’s prisons are simply a poor adaptation of men’s prisons that don’t take into account certain issues, particularly in relation to their bodies… including menstruation! That’s why we need to talk about menstrual poverty in prison.

As a reminder, menstrual poverty is defined as social, political, cultural and religious obstacles that prevent or limit access to necessary menstrual products and quality education on the subject… During menstruation, inmates depend on the distribution of menstrual products, and since the system is largely deficient, menstrual poverty sets in more quickly and easily in prisons (1).

To provide a little more context, here’s some data on women in prison in Canada: in 2021, 2,296 women were incarcerated in the country (provincial and federal prisons) (2). More than half of these inmates are Indigenous women, who make up only 4% of the Canadian female population, according to data available in 2016 (3, 4). To take this a step further, they account for 70% of inmates in Canada’s high-security prisons (5). It’s hard to deny that Indigenous women are vastly over-represented in prisons, and this same observation has been made for decades (6). So it’s important to always keep in mind that, because of the way our society is constructed, some minority groups will experience more oppression than others, even within the four walls of a prison.

The reality for people who menstruate in prisons:

On arrival at the prison, inmates receive a “newcomer’s kit”, the composition of which can vary from one establishment to another (7). It has been regularly reported that the number of menstrual products in this kit is clearly insufficient for one cycle. In addition to the insufficient number of menstrual products available, the quality and diversity of the products are also called into question (8). Obviously, every flow is different, so it’s impossible to imagine giving the same products to every inmate. Marina Bonard, a prisoner at Prison Leclerc (exclusively for women, in Quebec) testifies that “Things are really bad! We’ve reached the worst of the worst. We barely manage to get sanitary towels and shampoo.” (original testimony in French. Translated by athor) (9). This situation leads some people to engage in disobedience, thereby exposing themselves to sanctions. In fact, during visiting room sessions, some women are provided with menstrual products, even though it is illegal to bring outside goods into a prison. It should be remembered that menstrual products are sold over the counter outside prisons, and are therefore recognized as safe (10).

Some will opt to make their own products inside the prison: “Many inmates used cloths, sheets or even towels that they put in their panties.” (11). Others will sometimes reuse disposable menstrual products to try and avoid staining their clothes (12). The situation can go even further: in some prisons, homemade menstrual cups are becoming more and more widespread: “They use a plastic bottle which they cut to keep only the top part (13). To avoid tearing out the inner walls, the makeshift cup has to be smoothed against a wall.” By using makeshift means (because they have to), it’s their physical and mental health that can be altered, leading to infection, toxic shock (TSS) or even life-threatening consequences (14).

These makeshift solutions are thought up by menstruating people for several reasons, here are just a few:

• Most of the time, the prices of menstrual products inside prison walls are much higher than outside, while the purchasing power of inmates is extremely low (15). Having very little money, they sometimes have to choose between different products that are essential to their health (16). In prison, they are seen as luxury items, whereas we are talking about basic needs.
• Of all the people in prison in Canada (and around the world), menstruating prisoners are a minority, so these issues are overlooked by the prison services, who consider that there are more important matters to deal with (17).
• As mentioned above, the lack of diversity in the menstrual products available is an issue, since each person has different needs, depending on the day of the cycle, stress levels and physical health conditions (18). Sometimes, because of the poor quality of the products, some decide to use several at the same time (19). So, whether it’s the quantity or quality of menstrual products, the needs of menstruating people are not adequately covered. This raises issues not only of health and safety, but also of personal dignity (20).
• Finally, even if menstruating people express their needs and orders are placed, it’s not certain that they arrive on time (21). During an inspection carried out in 2021 in a British prison, it was highlighted that the time between the request for menstrual products and the response to this need is clearly unsatisfactory and inadequate (22).

Menstrual health isn’t just about access to products; it’s also about everything that surrounds it, such as pain relief, and the situation isn’t much better at all (23)! Very often, people who menstruate don’t have access to these treatments (painkillers, hot water bottles). What’s more, people who menstruate don’t necessarily have the support of healthcare personnel when it comes to questions or examinations related to menstruation. A missing or incomplete diagnosis can have irreversible consequences (24).

Access to showers is restricted, preventing individuals from washing themselves during their menstruation with clean water — and even then, access to clean water is not available at Leclerc Prison! (25, 26) Clean water is necessary not only for personal hygiene but also for washing reusable menstrual products, if individuals even have access to them. In some countries, like France, it is sometimes the ban on using toilets that is enforced by guards, leaving us to imagine the consequences for those menstruating (a situation that causes feelings of humiliation and is a violation of dignity) (27).

In France, washing clothes is also an important aspect of menstrual health: due to the poor quality of distributed products, some individuals end up with blood stains on their pants, exposing them directly to others. Since laundry is regulated in prisons, they cannot always remove the stains immediately (28). Because of these stains, many menstruating individuals prefer to miss activities rather than leave their cells with a visible stain. By choosing not to leave their cells, they risk disobeying and facing the consequences (29). It is also due to the gaze of others and the feelings of humiliation this may cause that some choose not to go out (30). It is easy to imagine that such situations could also occur in Canada.

Another degrading and humiliating practice during strip searches emerges in testimonies from menstruating individuals: it has been reported that guards required menstruating people wearing a tampon to remove it: ‘In prison, we’re strip-searched often. Before we leave our cell. Before and after work. Each time we must remove our pad or tampon,’ (United States) (Kwaneta) or ‘Strip searches are terrible (31). The first time I saw a 19-year-old girl being searched, the guards demanded that she remove her tampon in front of them,’ (Quebec) (Louise Henry), original testimony in French, translated by author) (32). These practices are the height of dehumanisation and humiliation.

It is therefore clear that guards hold a certain power over menstruating individuals within the prison walls, as they can impose restrictions (on showers or even toilet access) whenever they choose. In some facilities in the United States, free menstrual products are available upon request, but this brings us back to power dynamics: a prison guard (most of whom are men) holds an essential product for a menstruating person and has the power to decide whether or not to give it to them (33, 34). As a result, an abuse of power can easily undermine the availability of free products. We report these occurrences in U.S. prisons for two reasons: first, as stated in the introduction, there is very little data or reports available from Canada. Second, understanding the reality of menstruating individuals in U.S. prisons allows us to refine our analysis of the situation in Canadian prisons. 

And sometimes, it goes even further! In some prisons, it is possible to get additional menstrual products for free upon presenting medical proof justifying the need, but how can one provide such proof if access to healthcare professionals is restricted? (35). In other facilities, menstruating individuals must prove that having extra or different products is necessary for them, but how can one prove necessity when the definition of it varies depending on the individual and the context?

Solutions for fighting period poverty in prisons:

We have highlighted various issues related to period poverty, which go beyond access alone. There is much to reconsider in so-called women’s prisons, without forgetting to use an intersectional analysis lens. Here are some avenues for reflection and action that we propose to mobilise in favour of the fundamental rights and dignity of menstruating individuals in prison:

• Focus on providing free menstrual products and ensuring their accessibility. When we talk about accessibility, we mean that menstruating individuals should be able to access and use products without having to ask the guards. Accessibility also includes availability, because while products may be freely accessible, if there are none, it doesn’t solve the problem. It could also be relevant to invest in menstrual care (hot water bottles, teas, pain relievers, medical consultations…) within the prison facilities.
• Promote menstrual education for prison staff so that the issues are understood, fostering empathy among these individuals and ultimately ending taboos and discrimination in the long term.
• Work on the cleanliness of facilities and the maintenance of installations to ensure that menstruating individuals have access to clean showers, toilets, and private spaces.
• Allocate financial resources for menstruating individuals and their needs: indeed, just because they number fewer than 3,000 does not mean they should go unnoticed in the prison system. It is no longer acceptable, for instance, to lack a stock of menstrual products and to have to wait weeks to receive them. Remember, a menstrual cycle lasts only a few days, not weeks, so such waiting is inadequate.

We can’t continue to operate as a society by always referencing the perspectives of dominant and privileged individuals, and this reflection also applies to prisons and their organization. Therefore, to dismantle this view, it is essential to use an intersectional lens in our reflections and in the implementation of actions. Intersectionality allows us to consider that individuals have different identities within society, and that due to the existing system, these identities and their intersections can be sources of oppression or privilege. These identities are multifaceted and include, for example, gender, skin color, social class, and disability…

At the very beginning, we mentioned the number of Indigenous women in prisons, a figure that is clearly disproportionate: it is worth noting that they represent more than half of the incarcerated women in Canada, while making up only 4% of the Canadian female population (36). This shocking observation highlights the inequality faced by Indigenous individuals in Canada regarding incarceration: indeed, analyzing these figures reveals that Indigenous people, regardless of gender, are more likely to be incarcerated than white individuals (37). This can largely be attributed to the historical colonial system that openly discriminated against Indigenous peoples. Technically, this system has been abolished, but our current society continues to operate on racist and non-inclusive policies, making discrimination against Indigenous peoples still tangible. Applying this lens, it is easy to conclude that in so-called women’s prisons, Indigenous women are disproportionately likely to suffer from period poverty.

To deepen your understanding of this topic, we recommend the book by Louise Henry, Délivrez-nous de la prison Leclerc !, which is a testimony to the disastrous living conditions endured by incarcerated women. In English, you can also read the book by Angela Davis, Are Prisons Obsolete?