Menstrual equity in the criminal legal system

A new study has shown that among incarcerated women, many have to trade or barter to access menstrual hygiene products. The study, which examines menstrual equity, or the access to menstrual products and safe menstruating environments, in the criminal legal system, is published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Women’s Health. Click here to read the article now.

Patricia Kelly, PhD, from Thomas Jefferson University School of Nursing, and coauthors, found that 53.8% of women involved in the criminal legal system received less than five menstrual products at intake/initial processing. They further reported that 29.5% had to trade or barter menstrual hygiene products.

“Almost one-quarter (23.1%) suffered negative health consequences from prolonged use of products because of limited supply,” stated the investigators.

“As reported in this important study, the lack of access to menstrual products can have negative health consequences,” says Journal of Women’s Health Editor-in-Chief Susan G. Kornstein, MD, Executive Director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women’s Health, Richmond, VA.

About the Journal

Journal of Women’s Health, published monthly, is a core multidisciplinary journal dedicated to the diseases and conditions that hold greater risk for or are more prevalent among women, as well as diseases that present differently in women. Led by Editor-in-Chief Susan G. Kornstein, MD, Executive Director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women’s Health, Richmond, VA, the Journal covers the latest advances and clinical applications of new diagnostic procedures and therapeutic protocols for the prevention and management of women’s healthcare issues. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Journal of Women’s Health website. Journal of Women’s Health is the official journal of the Society for Women’s Health Research.

About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. is a global media company dedicated to creating, curating, and delivering impactful peer-reviewed research and authoritative content services to advance the fields of biotechnology and the life sciences, specialized clinical medicine, and public health and policy. For complete information, please visit the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. website.