LINCOLN — Women in Nebraska prisons will get easier access to feminine hygiene products under a policy change announced Wednesday by the state Department of Correctional Services.

Under the new policy, women will be able to get generic tampons and pads for free and will be able to buy brand-name products at cost in prison canteens.

The department’s previous policy has been to provide generic pads for free. All other feminine hygiene products, including tampons, were for sale in prison canteens but at higher prices than in local stores.

State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln applauded the change. She said she had asked corrections officials to look at the policy in light of an ACLU Nebraska report on the issue.

“Clearly, tampons and other feminine hygiene products are not luxury items,” she said. “Women need these products to avoid health complications, including infections.”

Pansing Brooks said she had a bill drafted that would have required the change, but she decided to see if the issue could be resolved without legislation.

Scout Richters, with ACLU Nebraska, also welcomed the change and expressed hope that other jails and detention centers in Nebraska will follow suit.

Dawn-Renee Smith, a Corrections Department spokeswoman, said the price changes in canteens will take a couple of weeks to implement, while housing units should have generic tampons in about 30 days.

martha.stoddard@owh.com, 402-473-9583

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Martha Stoddard keeps legislators honest from The World-Herald's Lincoln bureau, where she covers news from the State Capitol. Follow her on Twitter @StoddardOWH. Phone: 402-473-9583.

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