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Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20170&cosponId=26087
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House of Representatives
Session of 2017 - 2018 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: June 21, 2018 11:11 AM
From: Representative Isabella V. Fitzgerald
To: All House members
Subject: Dignity for Incarcerated Women and Parents Package: Providing Feminine Hygiene Products to All Female Inmates
 
In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation that would require state correctional institutions to provide a free supply of feminine hygiene products to all female inmates. The bill is part of a legislative package by the Legislative Black Caucus’s Women and Girls of Color Subcommittee to bring more dignity to incarcerated women and parents.

Until recently, female inmates were required to purchase many feminine products from the prison commissary unless they were deemed indigent by the Department of Corrections (DoC). Forcing incarcerated women to expend their limited resources on these necessities can have a damaging effect. It could mean that court costs and victim restitution take longer to repay or that phone calls to family are less frequent. It is unacceptable that items which remedy a biological need were not provided to the women in our prisons.

My legislation would require state prisons to provide at least two varieties of sanitary pads and two varieties of tampons to all female inmates at no cost, regardless of their financial means. Women would not have to demonstrate proof of need or undergo a medical authorization or diagnosis to receive the products. The DoC recently changed its internal policy to provide these products; however, my legislation is critical to cement this change in state law and ensure that future administrations cannot easily rescind the practice.

Please join me in sponsoring this legislation to bring parity to female inmates by providing them with vital basic necessities.



Introduced as HB2668