Wisconsin Lawmakers Hear Testimony on Bill Aiming to Ensure Incarcerated People Have Access to Basic Hygiene Products
Monday, January 12th, 2026 -- 10:00 AM
(Sarah Lehr, Wisconsin Public Radio) Wisconsin lawmakers heard testimony this week on bills that aim to ensure incarcerated people have access to basic hygiene products.
According to Sarah Lehr with the Wisconsin Public Radio, the proposals have hit pushback, however, from Wisconsin’s Department of Corrections and from county sheriffs, who have raised concerns about cost.
Under Wisconsin Department of Corrections policy, jails and prisons have to provide incarcerated people with some personal care items, including soap, a comb, toothpaste and a tooth brush.
The policy also says facilities have to give menstruating inmates access to some type of “basic” menstrual products upon request. But the types of personal care products available vary by facility. And oftentimes incarcerated people have to buy certain items from the commissary.
One bill which advanced to a public hearing Wednesday would require state prisons and county jails in Wisconsin to provide free access to variety of period products, including pads, tampons and menstrual cups. It’s a proposal supported by Samantha Brown, who spent time locked up in Wisconsin jails.
“I witnessed women receiving only three pads for an entire menstrual cycle,” Brown told the Assembly Committee on Corrections. “Out of desperation, I saw women rip those pads apart and make them into homemade tampons just to get through the day.” Brown described having limited access to basic menstrual products as “degrading and harmful.”
“Women are forced to bleed through clothing,” Brown said. “No one should be forced to beg, barter or suffer just to manage their period, especially while under the care of the state.”
The menstrual products bill was introduced by state Rep. Robyn Vining, a Wauwatosa Democrat who noted there are more than 1,600 women locked up in Wisconsin prisons.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.