Crime

Feminine products for inmates in jails, prisons get attention

FLORIDA COURIER — It’s something most women rarely chat about with strangers. But Valencia Gunder is walking the halls of the Capitol talking about menstruation.

Published

7 years ago

April 9, 2019

Oakland Post

By The Florida Courier

TALLAHASSEE – It’s something most women rarely chat about with strangers.

But Valencia Gunder is walking the halls of the Capitol talking about menstruation.

Specifically, Gunder’s leading a discussion about the struggles incarcerated women in Florida face because they don’t have adequate feminine products like tampons and sanitary napkins.

Gunder, a former inmate who’s now a lobbyist for the group Dignity Florida, is pushing a proposal that would require state prisons and county jails to make tampons and napkins more readily available to female prisoners.

“We are not asking for a luxury, state of Florida. We are asking for bare necessities. Women should not have to use extra pairs of socks as pads. Women should not have to use all of their tissues. Women should not have to be embarrassed to ask for extra sanitary napkins and tampons,” Gunder told reporters during a recent press conference in the Capitol.

A ‘dignity’ issue

The state Department of Corrections already has a rule requiring female inmates to have access to “adequate” feminine hygiene products.

The agency “is committed to ensuring the dignity and fair treatment of all incarcerated individuals in Florida,” spokeswoman Michelle Glady said.

“Our current policy and practices provides feminine hygiene products at no cost to inmates, necessary health and comfort items, and has search policies in place that are committed to ensuring inmates privacy in respect to their gender,” Glady said.

Bipartisan support

But Gunder and other advocates say guards sometimes deny requests for pads – state prisons don’t give female inmates tampons – as a way of punishing or humiliating women behind bars.

“It’s just humiliating, in general, (to be denied) things that you need,” Gunder, 34, said in a recent interview.

Female inmates also say the napkins given away by jails and prisons often don’t do the job.

The proposal (HB 49 and SB 332), called the “Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act,” has received bipartisan, unanimous approval from three subcommittees and committees in the House and Senate. It was scheduled to be heard Tuesday in the House Justice Appropriations Subcommittee.

A no-cost push

The proposal would require prisons and jails to make “health care products” – including tampons, moisturizing soap that is not lye-based, toothbrushes and toothpaste – available to female inmates “at no cost to the woman in a quantity that is appropriate to the needs of the woman.”

The products must be available “in common housing areas,” so that women don’t have to request them from guards.

Tampons and pads are available at some prison or jail canteens, but not all women can afford to purchase the products, Rep. Shevrin Jones, a West Park Democrat who is sponsoring the House measure, told a committee recently.

All-female pat downs

Incarcerated women are being “forced to make the impossible decision of constructing your own menstrual products, using anything from clothing or notebook paper, in place of a tampon,” Jones said, before the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee unanimously signed off on the bill.

“Without adequate access to clean, hygienic menstrual products, you may face serious health consequences. This happens every single month, and for some with irregular cycles, more frequently,” he added.

The proposal also would require that pat downs and strip searches of inmates be done by female guards and would ban male corrections officers from entering showers, restrooms or other places where incarcerated women may be undressed, policies that are already in place in some facilities.

But the legislation goes further, by requiring male guards to announce their presence after entering women’s housing units.

‘Embarrassing’ experience

Gunder, who’s the criminal justice program manager at the group New Florida Majority, said she first spoke about her negative experience as an inmate with her period while at a national conference two years ago.

“It was one of the hardest stories I ever had to share. It was extremely embarrassing. It’s something I don’t necessarily like to talk about a lot, but we can help the thousands of women who are incarcerated. But it is extremely hard because it’s something that people don’t talk about, outside of to a mother,” Gunder said.

After her remarks, Gunder said she met Topeka K. Sam, who’s a leader in the national “Dignity for Incarcerated Women” movement and discovered that women throughout the country were already working to make sure incarcerated females had access to adequate feminine products.

“It was a freeing moment for me and what was so amazing was that this group of women who all were incarcerated and they were, like, we know exactly what you’re talking about, and this is what we’re doing to fix it,” Gunder said.

Sen. Jason Pizzo, a Miami-Dade County Democrat is sponsoring the Senate version of the bill.

This article originally appeared in the Florida Courier.

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COMMENTARY: The National Protest Must Be Accompanied with Our Votes

Just as Trump is gathering election data like having the FBI take all the election data in Georgia from the 2020 election, so must we organize in preparation for the coming primary season to have the right people on ballots in each Republican district, so that we can regain control of the House of Representatives and by doing so, restore the separation of powers and balance that our democracy is being deprived of.

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Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper. File photo..

By Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper

As thousands of Americans march every week in cities across this great nation, it must be remembered that the protest without the vote is of no concern to Donald Trump and his administration.

In every city, there is a personal connection to the U.S. Congress. In too many cases, the member of Congress representing the people of that city and the congressional district in which it sits, is a Republican. It is the Republicans who are giving silent support to the destructive actions of those persons like the U.S. Attorney General, the Director of Homeland Security, and the National Intelligence Director, who are carrying out the revenge campaign of the President rather than upholding the oath of office each of them took “to Defend The Constitution of the United States.”

In California, the primary comes in June 2026. The congressional races must be a priority just as much as the local election of people has been so important in keeping ICE from acquiring facilities to build more prisons around the country.

“We the People” are winning this battle, even though it might not look like it. Each of us must get involved now, right where we are.

In this Black History month, it is important to remember that all we have accomplished in this nation has been “in spite of” and not “because of.” Frederick Douglas said, “Power concedes nothing without a struggle.”

Today, the struggle is to maintain our very institutions and history. Our strength in this struggle rests in our “collectiveness.” Our newspapers and journalists are at the greatest risk. We must not personally add to the attack by ignoring those who have been our very foundation, our Black press.

Are you spending your dollars this Black History Month with those who salute and honor contributions by supporting those who tell our stories? Remember that silence is the same as consent and support for the opposition. Where do you stand and where will your dollars go?

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Activism

Congresswoman Simon Votes Against Department of Homeland Security, ICE Funding

“They need accountability. Republicans already gave these agencies an unprecedented $170 billion for immigration enforcement, funding they have used to conduct raids at schools, separate families, and deploy a masked paramilitary who refuse to identify themselves on American streets. This bill gives them more funding without a single reform to stop unconstitutional, immoral abuses,” she said.

Published

4 days ago

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Oakland Post

Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12). File photo.

By Post Staff

Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) released a statement after voting against legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which supports Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB).

“Today, I voted NO on legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security through Feb. 13, 2026.

“ICE and CBP do not need more funding to terrorize communities or kill more people,” she said in the media release.

“They need accountability. Republicans already gave these agencies an unprecedented $170 billion for immigration enforcement, funding they have used to conduct raids at schools, separate families, and deploy a masked paramilitary who refuse to identify themselves on American streets. This bill gives them more funding without a single reform to stop unconstitutional, immoral abuses,” she said.

“The American people are demanding change. Poll after poll of Americans’ opinions show overwhelming support for requiring ICE agents to wear body cameras and prohibiting them from hiding their faces during enforcement actions. This is the bare minimum transparency standard, and this funding legislation does not even meet this low bar,” Simon said.

“Republicans in Congress are not serious about reining in these lawless agencies. Their refusal to make meaningful changes to the DHS funding bill has consequences that go beyond immigration enforcement. TSA agents who keep our airports safe and FEMA workers who help our communities recover from disasters are stuck in limbo due to Republican inaction.

“The Constitution does not have an exception for immigrants. Every person on American soil has rights, and federal agencies must respect them. The East Bay has made clear at the Alameda County and city level that we will hold the line against a violent ICE force and support our immigrant communities – I will continue to hold the line and our values with my votes in Congress.”

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Activism

Post Newspaper Invites NNPA to Join Nationwide Probate Reform Initiative

The Post’s Probate Reform Group meets the first Thursday of every month via Zoom and invites the public to attend. The Post is making the initiative national and will submit information from its monthly meeting to the NNPA to educate, advocate, and inform its readers.

Published

4 days ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Tanya Dennis

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) represents the Black press with over 200 newspapers nationwide.

Last night the Post announced that it is actively recruiting the Black press to inform the public that there is a probate “five-alarm fire” occurring in Black communities and invited every Black newspaper starting from the Birmingham Times in Alabama to the Milwaukee Times Weekly in Wisconsin, to join the Post in our “Year of Action” for probate reform.

Reporter Tanya Dennis says, “The adage that ‘When America catches a cold, Black folks catch the flu” is too true in practice; that’s why we’re engaging the Black Press to not only warn, but educate the Black community regarding the criminal actions we see in probate court: Thousands are losing generational wealth to strangers. It’s a travesty that happens daily.”

Venus Gist, a co-host of the reform group, states, “ Unfortunately, people are their own worst enemy when it comes to speaking with loved ones regarding their demise. It’s an uncomfortable subject that most avoid, but they do so at their peril. The courts rely on dissention between family members, so I encourage not only a will and trust [be created] but also videotape the reading of your documents so you can show you’re of sound mind.”

In better times, drafting a will was enough; then a trust was an added requirement to ‘iron-clad’ documents and to assure easy transference of wealth.

No longer.

As the courts became underfunded in the last 20 years, predatory behavior emerged to the extent that criminality is now occurring at alarming rates with no oversight, with courts isolating the conserved, and, I’ve heard, many times killing conservatees for profit. Plundering the assets of estates until beneficiaries are penniless is also common.”

Post Newspaper Publisher Paul Cobb says, “The simple solution is to avoid probate at all costs. If beneficiaries can’t agree, hire a private mediator and attorney to work things out. The moment you walk into court, you are vulnerable to the whims of the court. Your will and trust mean nothing.”

Zakiya Jendayi, a co-host of the Probate Reform Group and a victim herself, says, “In my case, the will and trust were clear that I am the beneficiary of the estate, but the opposing attorney said I used undue influence to make myself beneficiary. He said that without proof, and the judge upheld the attorney’s baseless assertion. In court, the will and trust is easily discounted.”

The Black press reaches out to 47 million Black Americans with one voice. The power of the press has never been so important as it is now in this national movement to save Black generational wealth from predatory attorneys, guardians and judges.

The next probate reform meeting is on March 5, from 7 – 9 p.m. PST. Zoom Details:
Meeting ID: 825 0367 1750
Passcode: 475480

All are welcome.