Title page 1

Contents 3

Highlights 2

Letter 10

Background 15

Roles and Responsibilities 15

Oversight 16

Accessibility 18

BOP Institutions Generally Make Menstrual Products Accessible, but a Few Institutions Do Not Fully Adhere to BOP Policy 18

BOP Policy Requires Institutions to Provide Menstrual Products 19

BOP Institutions Provide Menstrual Products in a Variety of Ways 20

Most, but Not All, BOP Institutions Comply with BOP Policy on Provision of Menstrual Products 23

ICE Facilities Generally Provide Menstrual Products, but Nonspecific Detention Standards Limit Oversight 30

Conclusions 38

Recommendations for Executive Action 39

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation 39

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology 42

Appendix II: Questionnaire Responses from the 29 Bureau of Prisons Institutions that Housed Women 49

Appendix III: Questionnaire Responses from 30 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Facilities that Housed Women 64

Appendix IV: Comments from the Department of Justice 78

Appendix V: Comments from the Department of Homeland Security 80

Appendix VI: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments 83

Tables 3

Table 1. Number and Percent of Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Institutions That Reported Providing Each Type of Required Menstrual Product... 23

Table 2. Number and Percent of Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Institutions That Reported Replenishing Menstrual Products by Time frame, fiscal year 2024 26

Table 3. Detention Standards for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Facilities Regarding the Provision of Menstrual Products 31

Table 4. Number and Percent of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Facilities That Reported Providing Each Number... 36

Table 5. Number and Percent of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Facilities That Reported Providing Each Type of Menstrual... 37

Table 6. Responses Provided by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About the Types of Menstrual Products... 49

Table 7. Responses Provided by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Purchasing Menstrual Products 50

Table 8. Responses Provided by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Purchasing Menstrual Products 51

Table 9. Responses Provided by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About the Quality of Menstrual Products 52

Table 10. Responses Provided by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Officials to GAO’s 2025 Survey Questions About the Quality of Menstrual Products 52

Table 11. Responses Provided by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About the Use of Menstrual Products... 53

Table 12. Responses Provided by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About the Use of Menstrual Products... 54

Table 13. Responses Provided by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About the Use of Menstrual Products... 55

Table 14. Responses Provided by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About the Use of Menstrual Products... 56

Table 15. Responses Provided by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Access to Menstrual Products 57

Table 16. Responses Provided by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Access to Menstrual Products 58

Table 17. Responses Provided by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Access to Menstrual Products 59

Table 18. Responses Provided by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Access to Menstrual Products 59

Table 19. Responses Provided by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Access to Menstrual Products 60

Table 20. Responses Provided by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Access to Menstrual Products 60

Table 21. Responses Provided by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Keeping Menstrual Products... 60

Table 22. Responses Provided by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Replenishment of Menstrual Products 61

Table 23. Responses Provided by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Menstrual Products for Adults... 61

Table 24. Responses Provided by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Menstrual Products for Adults... 61

Table 25. Responses Provided by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Menstrual Products for Adults... 62

Table 26. Responses Provided by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Menstrual Products for Adults... 62

Table 27. Responses Provided by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Feedback on Menstrual Products... 63

Table 28. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About the Types... 64

Table 29. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Purchasing... 65

Table 30. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Purchasing... 65

Table 31. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Purchasing... 66

Table 32. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About the Quality... 66

Table 33. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About the Quality... 67

Table 34. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About the Use ... 67

Table 35. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About the Use... 68

Table 36. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About the Use ... 68

Table 37. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About the Use... 69

Table 38. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Access... 69

Table 39. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Access... 70

Table 40. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Access... 71

Table 41. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Access... 71

Table 42. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Access... 72

Table 43. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Access... 72

Table 44. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Access... 73

Table 45. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Access... 73

Table 46. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Access... 74

Table 47. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Keeping... 74

Table 48. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Replenishment... 75

Table 49. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Menstrual... 75

Table 50. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Menstrual... 75

Table 51. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Menstrual... 76

Table 52. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Menstrual... 76

Table 53. Responses Provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials to GAO's 2025 Survey Questions About Feedback... 77

Figures 8

Figure 1. Locations of Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Institutions and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Facilities That Housed... 16

Figure 2. Examples of How Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Institutions Provide Menstrual Products 21

Figure 3. Empty Plastic Container for Menstrual Products at One Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Institution 25

Figure 4. Examples of Different Methods for Providing Menstrual Products at No Cost in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Facilities 34