Politics & Government
Free Tampons In Colorado Jails: Legislation Moves Forward
Not providing menstrual products like tampons and pads to women in custody may be cruel and unusual punishment, supporters say.
DENVER, CO – By John Herrick for The Colorado Independent. On January 24, Elisabeth Epps was sentenced to 27 days in the Arapahoe County Jail for obstructing a peace officer at a pool party in 2015. While in custody, Epps requested a tampon. She was told it would take up to ten days to arrive.
“My period is over,” she tweeted in January while out on work release. “But this fight for women’s rights in Arapahoe cage has just begun.”
Epps is a criminal justice activist and abolitionist who has helped raise money to pay jail bonds for strangers. Her story, which drew media attention in the Denver metro area, inspired lawmakers this year to step in and draft a bill that would require jails to offer free menstrual hygiene products like tampons, pads, cups and sanitary napkins.
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On Thursday, after a bail reform measure passed without objection, the House Judiciary Committee passed the menstrual products bill 11-0. Without those products, supporters say, women face both health risks and humiliation during their time in custody.
“This is about dignity. No one should have to beg, plead, borrow, barter, or pay to receive tampons while in confinement. They are vital for thousands of Coloradans sitting in our local jails and should be provided without cost. Period,” Rep. Leslie Herod, a Democrat from Denver, said in a statement.