Poster #150 - Menstrual Indiginities in U.S. Prisons

• In Event: ASC Poster Session II

Abstract

The United States has the highest incarceration rate for women in the world and there have been reports that there is not appropriate access to menstrual products in prison. This study involved 14 semi-structured interviews with participants who were either formerly incarcerated women who had experienced an incarcerated period, or individuals who worked closely with the incarcerated population professionally. Using interview themes and literature on menstrual discrimination, this research generated the framework of menstrual indignities in prison. This framework highlights harm to women and menstruators caused by: bias by non-menstruators, prison’s focus on dehumanization, demanding menstruators make more decisions with fewer resources, seeing menstruation as unrelated to other health issues, and ignoring the needs of non-women menstruators. This research shows how menstruation deeply impacts the experience of incarceration and is one of the first in-depth academic discussions of incarcerated menstruation. As the menstrual indignities framework makes it clear that there is harm being done outside of access to products, the solution for the goal of menstrual equity must be more than making products available. *This research refers to women and menstruators in recognition of the fact that not all women menstruate and not all who menstruate are women.*

Author

• Miriam Vishniac, University of Edinburgh