RICHMOND, Va. (AP/WVEC) — Brian Moran, the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security for Virginia, has suspended the tampon ban in Virginia prisons until it can be reviewed further.
In a Twitter thread, Moran posted that he understood the precautionary steps to detect the rising threat of contraband, but after concerns he felt it appropriate to suspend the policy until the implementation and potential consequences are reviewed and considered.
This comes after the warden at Nottoway Correctional told visitors and inmates in a Sept. 20 letter that female visitors would be banned from wearing tampons into the prison. The policy stems from concerns that the feminine hygiene products could be "an ideal way to conceal contraband."
A spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Corrections told 13News Now this ban would apply to all prisons. It was scheduled to go into effect October 6.
"The policy regarding visitors' body cavities aims to keep contraband from entering the facilities," said Lisa Kinney, Director of Communications for Virginia Department of Corrections, in a statement. "If someone chooses to visit a Virginia Department of Corrections inmate, he or she cannot have anything hidden inside a body cavity."
"There have been many instances in which visitors have attempted to smuggle drugs into our prisons by concealing those drugs in a body cavity," continued Kinney in the statement. "In consultation with the Attorney General's office, it was decided that facilities would offer pads to women who are wearing tampons while visiting a prison so the tampons don't appear as possible contraband on a body scan."
"When potential contraband is seen on a body scan, visitors are offered the choice of a strip search or leaving the facility without visiting an inmate. This policy aims to help visitors avoid that altogether," continued Kinney. "Offenders in Virginia have died of drug overdoses while inside our prisons. It's our job to keep the offenders and staff as safe as we can. We know that people who have loved ones in Virginia prisons don't want to be able to smuggle in lethal drugs, putting their loved ones' lives in danger."
"Helping people who are housed in jail or prison stay connected to friends, families, and communities is critical to rehabilitation and eventual, successful re-entry to society," responded Bill Farrar in the ACLU from Virginia's statement. "Any policy that discourages visitors is, therefore, one that should be subject to the most exacting and careful review. In addition, a policy like this one that requires those who wish to visit people who are incarcerated to set aside their dignity and health is simply unacceptable."
"We call upon Department of Corrections Director Harold Clarke to immediately clarify DOC policy for visitors at all state prisons and to direct wardens at the Nottoway Correctional Center and other facilities to reverse any policy or practice that limits the visitation rights of visitors who are menstruating without regard to which hygiene product they choose to use," Farrer continued.
Last year, the nation's largest private prison operator settled a lawsuit by Tennessee women ordered to remove tampons to prove they weren't hiding contraband.
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