Woman On Her Period Denied Pants & Sanitary Products For Three Days While Awaiting Sentencing
I could never imagine the embarrassment or humiliation one would feel walking around a jail with no pants on, or being denied feminine hygiene products for my menstrual cycle. So to me, facing a judge while wearing no pants, with evidence of my menstrual cycle on my body, would feel like absolute torture.
That's what happened to a Kentucky woman who was sent to court wearing no pants while facing Judge Amber Wolf on July 29 for a sentencing hearing.
In a viral video that's resulting in outrage from social media users alike, a pantless unidentified woman can be seen explaining to Judge Wolf that she was arrested in Fayette County three days prior for failing to complete a diversion program for a first-time shoplifting charge.
During a court hearing, the woman explained to the judge that she was repeatedly denied pants and feminine hygiene products during her 3-day incarceration. This set Judge Wolf off.
"Am I in the Twilight Zone?" she questioned with a perplexed face. The judge immediately got on the phone to demand an explanation.
“Hi, Jenny, this is Judge Wolf in Court Room 102," she said. "I’m actually calling for Director Bolton, or anyone, uh, who can come to my courtroom and tell me why there is a female defendant standing in front of me with no pants on."
According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, the jail's assistant director, Steve Durham, refuted the idea that the woman was not wearing pants. He told the paper,
“The judge drew a conclusion she didn’t have pants on and didn’t do anything to confirm that...If we had taken somebody over with no pants on we should be held responsible. We didn't."
Durham also said that the unidentified woman was handled the same way as any of their other 32,000 inmates, and it's standard protocol to keep inmates "in the clothes they were wearing upon arrest for 72 hours." Perhaps she was also denied pants upon arrest. Who knows?
But the end result is that Judge Wolf rejected the 75-day sentence the woman was to receive, and gave her a $100 dollar fine, and credit for time served.
The central issue of the unidentified woman's case it that her Eighth Amendment rights were violated, which is in place to protect prisoner's basic constitutional rights to cleanliness. According to Broadly, Judges in 1989's Carver v. Knox County, Tennessee, 1997's Carty v. Farrelly and 2005's Atkins v. County of Orange all ruled that failing to provide or denying access to sanitary items violates the Eight Amendment, which enshrines a prisoner's right to a "basic human need"—i.e. toilet paper and menstrual products—in its Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause.
On top of that, it's really easy to go to jail if you're a woman, whether it's for a minor violation or not. American Progress reports that the number of women incarcerated has grown by more than 800 percent in the last three decades, and it's far worse for women of color. African American women are three times more likely than white women to be incarcerated, while Hispanic women are 69 percent more likely than white women to be incarcerated.
Here are several other things that happens to women in jail that has also left the world outraged.
SOME WOMEN ARE FORCED TO WEAR THE SAME SANITARY NAPKIN FOR MORE THAN A DAY
Back in 2015, Chandra Bozelko wrote an opinion piece for The Guardian on how sanitary products were hard to come by during her stay at York Correctional Institution in Niantic, Connecticut, where she spent more than six years. Chandra said that each cell holds two inmates, and each cell receives five pads per week. To split. She explained,
I’m not sure what they expect us to do with the fifth but this comes out to 10 total for each woman, allowing for only one change a day in an average five-day monthly cycle. The lack of sanitary supplies is so bad in women’s prisons that I have seen pads fly right out of an inmate’s pants: prison maxi pads don’t have wings and they have only average adhesive so, when a woman wears the same pad for several days because she can’t find a fresh one, that pad often fails to stick to her underwear and the pad falls out. It’s disgusting but it’s true.
Kotex Expert Molly O'Shea advises women to change their pads at least every 3-4 hours to keep odor and bacteria from growing in your blood, but that's not always a choice for inmates, especially ones who can not afford to buy sanitary products.
According to New York Magazine, most inmates can't afford to purchase pads, which costs $2.63 for a 24-pack. Especially when they have to use their pay to purchase other necessities, like deodorant ($1.93, or 3 days' pay), and toothpaste ($1.50, or two days' pay). The cost of these basic needs is higher at some prisons, and thanks to privatized commissaries, a box of eight tampons can run you $4.23.
Thank goodness New York City Council passed provision to provide free menstrual supplies in all city public schools, prisons, and homeless shelters. But the rest of the country has a long way to go. In 2014, the ACLU of Michigan filed a lawsuit against Muskegon County for inadequately providing women inmates with feminine hygiene products, forcing inmates to routinely bleed through their clothes, and not providing them a change of clothes until laundry day. One officer told an inmate who asked for sanitary products that she was “sh*t out of luck” and “better not bleed on the floor.”
HAVING A BABY? THEN YOU SHOULD EXPECT TO BE SHACKLED DURING CHILDBIRTH
Women prisoners and youths are routinely shackled during pregnancy and childbirth, which endangers the lives of pregnant women which puts her at risk for blood clots, miscarriages, or accidental trips or falls. Shackles can also interfere with appropriate medical care for women delivering babes.
22 states, plus DC, have laws regulating shackled pregnant women, but thanks to loopholes, it's still happening.
SEXUAL ASSAULT AT THE HANDS OF PRISON GUARDS IS REAL
A 2014 Bureau of Justice study reported that of the 8,763 allegations of prisoner sexual victimization between 2009 and 2011, 49 percent of the unwanted sexual misconduct or harassment involved prison staff as perpetrators.
Bradley W. Brockmann, executive director of The Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights at Brown University told ABC News that although the study showed that there was a rise in inmate sex abuse, those cases are just a drop in the bucket compared to the "sexual victimization that goes on daily."
"What happens behind those walls generally stays behind them," Brockman said. "For somebody to speak out takes immense courage."
Did you know that you could donate sanitary products for prisoners, tax free? Log on to awomansworthinc.org/donate to find out more on how you can help be a beacon of hope for incarcerated women who needs underwear and basic sanitary products.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Just When This Couple Was Ready To Delete Dating Apps, They Matched & The Rest Is History
How We Met is a series where xoNecole talks love and relationships with real-life couples. We learn how they met, how like turned into love, and how they make their love work.
There was a time when the question, "Does he give you butterflies?” was always associated with happy feelings and positivity. But between love bombing, situationships, stories like Reesa Teesa, and the overwhelming number of bad dating stories, many millennials have become hesitant – even cautious – of feeling chemistry too early. Nevertheless, the truth remains: if intentions are genuine, there’s nothing wrong with acknowledging the spark sooner rather than later.
Frederick and Josephanie Buffington are a beautiful testament of this notion. During our discussion, they humorously walked me through how they connected, their immediate attraction, and how they’ve been able to passionately follow these feelings all the way to the altar. The couple attributes their exciting new marriage to discovering who they were individually and knowing what they desire from partnership prior to meeting. Check out their story below.
How and where did you two meet?
Frederick: Well, I’m a Southern gentleman from Arkansas. It’s not really my thing to get into dating apps and stuff like that. But after being in Atlanta for a while and talking to a friend from the area, she explained why she deals with them, and it made sense to me. So I gave it a try, and it failed about eighteen times (laughs). But when I was on the verge of hanging it up, a pretty little thing popped up on my screen.
Josephanie: I actually got on the app that day to delete it. I was like, I’m done with this, and I don’t want to do this anymore. But I saw him and was like, let’s wait a second. And he sent me a message, we matched, and the same day he called me. We ended up talking on the phone for like seven hours, and that was like it for us.
"I actually got on the app that day to delete it. I was like, I’m done with this, and I don’t want to do this anymore. But I saw him and was like, let’s wait a second. And he sent me a message, we matched, and the same day he called me. We ended up talking on the phone for like seven hours, and that was like it for us."
Were you attracted instantly, or did it develop over time?
Josephanie: No. Nah, I’m just kidding – I was always attracted to him.
Frederick: Yeah, she has always been this fine.
xovelshee/ Instagram
Walk me through the courtship. Did y'all ever have that awkward “what are we convo, and who initiated it?
Josephanie: No, we didn’t have that conversation. Because it went so fast, after date three, we decided we were doing this.
Frederick: By then we had talked about life goals and everything enough that we realized if we went different ways, we would be stupid.
And what made you want to commit to a relationship with one another? How did you know it was special?
Josephanie: Because it went so fast. It was like a whirlwind, and usually, I steer clear of those. But this was fun, intense, and energy-filled. So I was like, let’s just ride this wave and see where it takes us.
Frederick: Yeah, and we ended up here. I’m really picky about everything. For me, it was like 2-3 weeks in when I realized she wasn’t getting on my nerves, so I knew it was something there. It sounds funny, but I’m serious. Like, I used to get to a point in dating where I’d start thinking a woman breathed funny or just something random would turn me off. This was different. I was just enjoying it. And still, no matter who I’m in the presence of or who approaches me, I just don’t see anything trumping this.
"It was like a whirlwind, and usually, I steer clear of those. But this was fun, intense, and energy-filled. So I was like, let’s just ride this wave and see where it takes us."
xovelshee/ Instagram
Speaking of time, what do you do to keep the relationship spicy?
Josephanie: That’s all me. (laughs)
Frederick: That’s where her career as a sex therapist comes in. (laughs).
I love that approach. I’m curious what did you two learn in your single season?
Josephanie: I got to know myself and put emphasis on my intrinsic value. It’s not about 'what I’m bringing to the table.' It’s about who I am as an individual, and what my value is, and where my value lies. That’s not about what I’m doing but who I am.
Frederick: Yeah, I figured out who I was before I got with her, too. Outside of social media and what your friends/family think, it’s important to figure out what you like because, ultimately, you’re going to have to live with that decision. So know who you are and let them know who you are. During my single season, I took the time to really know myself and I focused on what I like. Again, I’m picky. So, I had to figure out what I really liked before I drove someone else crazy. And then she was patient with me, so I ended up making a good choice (laughs).
xovelshee/ Instagram
What was the biggest challenge that you had to overcome together?
Josephanie: I recently had surgery. So, I had 64 fibroids, a major abdominal myomectomy. I couldn’t do anything for myself, and he was there 24/7. I was in the hospital for 5 to 6 days, and he slept on the floor the whole time.
Fredrick: And those floor mats were not there for everybody. Her mother was there too – shoutout to her mother. That was definitely something very challenging that we got through together.
Finally, what’s your favorite thing about each other?
Frederick: Her booty. No, I’m just playing. I’ll give it to you in order: her confidence, intelligence, humor, and then the booty and smile.
Josephanie: My favorite thing about him is that he is the epitome of Black boy joy. He’s always laughing, he’s always smiling. There’s always jokes. His personality radiates. You can’t help but want to be in his presence.
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Feature image by T Fash Images