Senator Roxanne J. Persaud Sponsors a Bill to Provide Feminine Hygiene Products at no cost to Individuals in Correctional Facilities

Senator Roxanne J. Persaud Sponsors a Bill to Provide Feminine Hygiene Products at no cost to Individuals in Correctional Facilities.

(Albany, NY ) Senator Roxanne J. Persaud sponsored a bill to provide feminine hygiene products at no cost to individuals in correctional facilities.

On June 12, 2018, Senate Bill S8821A passed the  New York State Senate. In state correctional facilities, incarcerated women are given an insufficient monthly supply of feminine hygiene products or are required to purchase such products from the prison commissary.

The high cost of feminine hygiene products forces many inmates to go without this basic necessity. Not only is this inhumane and unsanitary, but it also creates an underground market for feminine hygiene products within the prison walls.

As the Taconic State Correctional Facility, for example, one tampon costs 24 cents. The average female inmate makes approximately 17 cents per hour. Thus, female inmates must spend their week's earnings to purchase a 20-count box of tampons, which still may be insufficient for many women whose periods last up to seven days.

"Everyone should be treated with dignity. Individuals in incarceration are human beings. Providing them with their basic needs is not only the right and just thing to do; it is the responsibility of correctional facilities. I will continue to advocate for commonsense legislation that will not only prevent cruel treatment of inmates and decreases the recidivism rate in New York." Senator Persaud said.