"Jennifer Toon would hide her dynamite sticks behind the bookshelves of the prison library where she worked. "I saw girls get written up because they're hoarding. Like, they're stashing in their cubicle," said Toon, who was incarcerated twice over two decades and last released in 2018. But the prison commissary at that time could barely keep extra tampons in stock, she said - and that was assuming people had the money to afford them."
"Behind bars, these household items could be a liability. People on their periods might beg their peers for tampons or even take them. Correctional officers might write someone up for having more than the 12 tampons permitted per month, which was the practice until the state removed those limits in 2019. The punishments for those violations could range from losing phone or visitation privileges, to fines to solitary confinement."
Tampon supplies in some prisons are scarce, expensive at commissaries, and were once limited to 12 per month, creating pressure to hoard. People on their periods may beg peers or take supplies, and possession beyond limits can trigger disciplinary write-ups. Punishments for menstrual-related infractions have included loss of phone and visitation privileges, fines, and solitary confinement. Individuals hide personal stashes in library shelves and other nooks to avoid consequences. Infractions on prison records can affect parole eligibility. Incarcerated women, trans, and nonbinary people experience punishment and heightened vulnerability around menstrual care.
Read at Advocate.com
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