SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
Alabama law requires that incarcerated women be provided menstrual products at no cost, but advocates say the reality inside state prisons often falls short of that promise, leaving women vulnerable to health risks, humiliation, and disciplinary consequences.
Under the Alabama Department of Corrections policy, feminine hygiene products are supposed to be available to women upon request. However, researchers and formerly incarcerated women say access can be inconsistent, delayed, or limited in quantity, forcing women to ration supplies or rely on others. Requiring women to ask officers for basic hygiene items can also create barriers, particularly during night shifts or lockdowns.
A recent report from the Prison Policy Initiative found that menstruation is still frequently treated as a disciplinary issue in prisons nationwide, including in states like Alabama that have policies on the books. Women may be written up for possessing more pads than allowed, leaking through uniforms or bedding, or sharing products with others—actions that can impact housing status, privileges, and parole eligibility.
Shower schedules further complicate access to hygiene. Alabama does not have a statewide requirement guaranteeing daily showers for menstruating women. Advocates say limited shower access, combined with restricted clothing changes, makes it difficult to manage menstruation safely and with dignity.
These concerns are particularly relevant at Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women, Alabama’s primary women’s facility, which has faced years of federal scrutiny over conditions of confinement. While reforms have been ordered in areas such as safety and staffing, women’s health needs—including menstrual care—remain an ongoing concern for advocates.
Women make up a growing share of Alabama’s incarcerated population, reflecting a national trend that saw women’s state prison populations increase about 5% from 2022 to 2023. Despite that growth, many correctional policies were designed without women’s health in mind.
Nationally, at least 24 states and Washington, D.C., require free access to menstrual products in prisons and jails, and federal facilities have provided free products since 2017. Some states have gone further. Ohio lawmakers recently passed legislation guaranteeing free menstrual products, daily showers during menstruation, and anti-discrimination protections. Wisconsin introduced similar legislation this year.
Alabama has not enacted comparable legislation, relying instead on internal correctional policies that lack clear enforcement standards.
“It’s not enough to say products are available,” said Alycia Welch of the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab at the University of Texas at Austin. “When access is inconsistent or tied to discipline, it reinforces the reality that incarcerated women have very little autonomy over their bodies.”
Advocates say closing the gap between policy and practice is essential to ensuring dignity, health, and fairness for women incarcerated in Alabama.