Women at NSW correctional facility left without access to period products

A report into a correctional centre on the NSW Central Coast has found menstruating women were unable to access to period products for several days while in custody.

In a report tabled to parliament last week, the NSW Inspector of Custodial Services reviewed the Kariong Intake and Transit Centre (ITC) and found "very limited supplies of sanitary products" which were "difficult to access".

The report found women moving through the centre, either on remand or awaiting placement in a prison, were "even escorted to trucks … while menstruating without access to sanitary items".

The report also found people were held beyond the seven-day legal limit, and that some were denied outdoor time, soap and adequate clothing.

Former prisoner Kaycee Henzon spent more than 14 years in custody and said limited access to period products was a recurring problem in NSW prisons.

"I was desperate for pads and I couldn't get anything," she said.

"You get told to just wrap some toilet paper and slap it on."

In a statement, Corrective Services NSW said the department "acknowledges the complex challenges that all women in custody face, including with menstruation".

"Correctional Services NSW is committed to ensuring women in custody have access to appropriate hygiene products and support," the statement said.

Access problems elsewhere

Under NSW custodial operations policy, sanitary pads and tampons are supposed to be issued to all female inmates when they first arrive in prisons.

Ms Henzon has Antiphospholipid syndrome, which can cause heavier or prolonged menstrual bleeding.

She said even on occasions when menstrual pads were available, the supply was never enough.

"They [prison guards] denied me from getting another sanitary pad until a week later," she said.

"They said you only get one or two a week."

Female inmates are supposed to be able to request additional tampons and sanitary pads while in their accommodation.

Ms Henzon said she resorted to using magazine pages or pieces of old newspaper.

"I folded that and then wrapped it around with a bit of toilet paper," she said.

"I felt really dehumanised … I know a lot of rights were taken away but basic hygiene needs were not being met."

Access to period products has been repeatedly identified as an issue by the state's prisons inspector.

A 2026 report into Clarence Correctional Centre on the NSW north coast noted "the lack of dignity in daily life was compounded by women not being issued sanitary products on a regular basis but having to request these from staff when they need them".

A 2023 report into Silverwater and Dillwynia prisons in Sydney recommended that "at a minimum, sanitary pads and tampons should be routinely included in reception packs for women at all custodial centres … to ensure they have immediate access to these items".

Brett Collins, from the advocacy group Justice Action, said the conditions facing women at Kariong ITC demonstrated "a lack of concern" from Corrective Services NSW.

"They could certainly supply female hygiene products, these are issues that could be easily solved," he said.

Additional issues identified

The report into 24-hour court cell complexes across the state raised several other concerns about Kariong ITC, including the length of time people spent at the facility.

The cells are designed for stays of no longer than 24 hours, but the report found the average time spent inside was 27 hours.

Twenty-nine people were held in Kariong ITC for longer than the legal maximum period of seven days, with one person spending 11 days in a cell.

The report also noted prisoners were denied time outdoors, the cells lacked soap, and that clothing supplies were limited, resulting in a person in custody being transferred with no shirt and no shoes.

Mr Collins said urgent changes were required.

"No exercise, no access to fresh air, clothing, shoes; up to 11 days in a cell, not even leaving a cell … that's just really wrong," he said.

"It's not surprising the inspector has taken a very harsh line and Kariong comes up really badly."

The report made four recommendations, including that women's hygiene products are always available and provided.

Corrective Services NSW said it will provide a formal response to the report in due course.