Advocacy
& Policy Change
ARCH equips justice-involved leaders and their advocates to leadership in efforts related to reentry and criminal justice reforms focused on rehabilitation, restoration, and redemption.
HB 29 will ensure free access to an adequate supply of feminine hygiene products, various sizes, and access to daily showers in correctional facilities for women on their period.
According to the dozens of testimonies we have collected, we have learned the following:
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Not all facilities offer free hygiene products or have them accessible at all times
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Menstrual products do not meet the menstruation needs of many - poor quality, limited size options, limited quantity
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Products are hoarded or bartered for by those in need
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Guards have to be asked when more is needed, and it is not always given
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Showers are not always available when you have been on your period
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Stocking up products at your bunk can be a violation and lead to getting in trouble
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Commissary costs are inflated and people often cannot afford to buy more
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Trash cans with lids dedicated to menstrual products are not always available
RAISE YOUR VOICE
Submit your personal impact story via video and ARCH will use it to advocate for the passage of HB 29. You can also email us at: stories@archreentry.com.
OR
EMAIL OR CALL STATEHOUSE LEADERSHIP
Senator Rob McColley
Senate President
614-466-8150
mccolley@ohiosenate.gov
Representative Matt Huffman
House Speaker
614-466-6344
rep78@ohiohouse.gov
Do you have something to say, but don’t know how to say it? Here are some questions to spark inspiration:
If you’re a returning citizen, what was your experience with this issue while incarcerated?
How do you feel about women's experiences with limited access to necessary hygiene products, showers, or trash cans while incarcerated in some Ohio facilities?
What are the public health and cleanliness aspects of ensuring women have what they need in prison for their period?
If you email them, please CC: stories@archreentry.com
C.A.
When coming into (jail) females are not issued underwear or bras. You are expected to purchase your own in commissary. If you start your period you are given 1 pair of underwear only. I laid in my bed with a pad in my pants waiting for my 1 pair of underwear to be washed.
R.K.
You are provided only a few (pads) at a time. They are horrible quality. They fall apart, leak, and don't fit right - no overnight protection. We didn't get tampons so we would make tampons out of pads, causing risk of UTI's or even coming undone while inside us.
R.A.
We only got 2 (pads) at a time and it was usually a task to get a corrections officer (CO) to give them to you. It depended on what CO was working. They needed to be changed more frequently than given.
B.
Accidents occurred almost daily and inmates were denied new pants and panties. They had to walk around with blood on their pants for hours, sometimes days. I had to sneak and wash my own bedding.
M.D.
There never was an adequate supply. We were given 1-2 maximum and we were required to ask repeatedly. The products were poor quality - the cotton would separate and fall apart. They were not absorbent.