Former prisoner suffering period in prison.

We have to reuse tampons during your period within the prison.

Not on opinions about the periods spent by prisoners in custody in menstruation or imprisonment. It's an expression of human values and the fundamental rights of women. Just last week, proved that our values and women's rights records are not strong at all.

The United Nations has shortly imprisoned women who have menstrual nation nine years ago when the prisoners' treatment rules "enacted non-custodial measures for offenders» also known as Bangkok rules relative to the city where they were adopting these rules. And rules of Bangkok is about 70 guidance on treatment of female detainees, including rule number 5, which stipulates that they must provide to prisoners in places sheltered facilities and materials necessary to meet the needs in terms of the hygiene of the person below, including the healthy child Free water supply b regularly for personal care to children and administers, especially administers then has came to the cooking and pregnant or nursing or who had decreased menstruation.

Many had expected that the United States had already complied to such a simple requirement because we are definitely more advanced than other countries and know how to deal with 219 thousand women in American prisons.

But that is not true.

Before and after the Bangkok rules deprived women in prison than the minimum necessary to stay clean. In 2014, the prisoners in the American State of Michigan Muskegon County sued because prison deprived them of the supplies they need. And the US Justice Department investigation revealed that women in the US State of Alabama prisons claim» payment» for tampons and sanitary pads through sexual acts are the guards. In New York, the prisoners keep soiled Stoppers for another new traded.

I know from spending more than six years in a maximum security prison, exactly how difficult it is to maintain personal hygiene. Often we have to reuse sanitary pads or use toilet paper when we couldn't secure the things we need.

Since this problem is a humanitarian and health threats, four members of the United States Senate Bill dignity of women prisoners (Dignity of Incarcerated Women Act) in June/July 2017, a bill that would be required to receive the women detainees in cases Federal health session products of high quality in sufficient quantities and for free.

*

Although the Bill technically ceased in the Judiciary Committee, law segment of the dignity of women prisoners who ordered the distribution of «healthcare products» on detainees in federal prisons has become law to include a clause in the law first step» (FIRST STEP ACT), a criminal justice reform bill which became law late last year.

Before doing so, federal law project led to the emergence of many draft laws at the State level, which are collectively called b» laws of dignity ", and aim to do the same thing. Dignity laws were defined in 14 States so far. The Bills are still pending in seven States, and by the end of 2018, endorsed by seven States without a single dismissive voice between any of those sounds made by lawmakers around the country. They know very well that voting on a version of the law dignity is a vote on a referendum on human rights.

This was the case until last week when four deputies voted Republicans in Maine Commission on criminal justice and public safety against the State's version of the law. Even someone he doesn't want to believe prisoners they held in Maine «country club».

Any vote has rejected a vote in support of prison staff who stripped women of their resourcefulness, forced to live in blood-stained clothes. And that barely resembled a country club activities.

A representative of the defense was Maine behind vote rejected is that it was believed that women have already supplied concerned. But this is an evasion of responsibility. The prisoners, experts who know what's happening behind bars didn't claim that this is a problem, there is more than enough of sanitary pads and tampons in closets and storage areas within the correctional women to care for the needs of female prisoners.

The challenge here is distribution, and how to deliver these supplies to women, because usually, they distribute to staff. The variance of ability and position between the employee and the prisoner is so obvious that there is often room for manipulation, denial, and human rights violations.

The usual objection was to provide women with all supplies that only women can use this privilege abuse alleged by using it for other purposes than personal hygiene, such as a temporary shock absorber for the family that bounces off the wall or like a sponge for cleaning.

But that's not enough reason to vote against the law is basically a referendum on human rights. And in the process of adopting a resolution similar to what exists in the rules Bangkok, a thorough investigation conducted by the American Bar Association about best practices in dealing with prisoners who Latin PMS. Investigators concluded that the risk of wastage was much smaller than what it showed, and I certainly won't be enough to outweigh the right of women to have access to products that you would keep them clean and healthy.

We should not be in need of laws dignity at all. Because there is already an international resolution requires prisons to provide sufficient supplies below deck, but America ignores it. Without the force of law established by the laws, prison guards will not comply with the basic principles of humane treatment of prisoners. This is a problem that must be resolved. Based on comments made by legislators duly elected last week, we are very far from that.