/One incarcerated woman’s three-year battle for a bra that won’t give her a rash

One incarcerated woman’s three-year battle for a bra that won’t give her a rash

Wilbanks was a Pearl inmate at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility. She said that she developed an allergic reaction to the elastic bands in plain white sports bras. Wilbanks claims that she has been trying unsuccessfully to get a bra from the State that she can wear without a rash since then. Wilbanks stated that her rash was so severe that she would have claw marks and open wounds from scratching. She filed a complaint to the state Department of Corrections in June. Mississippi Today received it. According to the inmate manual, women are allowed to wear three bras. Wilbanks stated that a bra is a violation of the rule. Wilbanks is sensitive about other prison clothing like socks and underwear. However, she has always been capable of finding a substitute or modifing the garment to avoid getting harmed. This is not possible with bras. According to an earlier complaint Wilbanks filed through the Mississippi Department of Corrections Administrative Remedy Program in March, Wilbanks has tried to raise the matter with multiple prison employees over three years. As ARPs are also known, they initiate the grievance resolution process that inmates must complete before they can file a complaint. Wilbanks received Benadryl, a rash cream and no relief. She wrote that the Benadryl made her sleepy and prevented her from functioning normally. The cream helped her get rid of her rash but she would still break out if she tried to put it on again. Wilbanks tried to order bras from the prison commissary but they were not the same as those issued by MDOC. One time, Wilbanks wrote to Superintendent Ron King of Central Mississippi Correctional Facility asking if she could have different bras sent by her family. However, a warden denied her request. Grace Fisher, spokesperson for MDOC, stated that the department does not address grievances of inmates or other matters related to them as a matter-of-practice. Wilbanks is now wearing a bra that another prisoner gave her, a free-world bra. Wilbanks has worn the same piece of clothing daily for two years, hand washing every other day. She said that it’s now beginning to break down. Wilbanks stated that an MDOC worker at the prison who assists inmates with wheelchairs, prosthetics, and other medical equipment had indicated she required a note from her doctor instructing MDOC how Wilbanks should be ordered a new bra. Wilbanks would have to make a sick phone call, which would add $6 to her co-pay, as Wilbanks has very few family members who can help her financially. Wilbanks believes that raising the bra issue could have made her more trouble. Wilbanks has had to deal with many health issues while in prison. She was previously housed in extended care, which is an air-conditioned unit that houses veterans and older inmates. Wilbanks stated that she was recently moved from extended care into quick bed. This is a bigger, more crowded, and more crowded unit for younger prisoners. She’s already been unable to sleep in quick bed due to the heat this summer. She said that her repeated requests to be admitted to extended care were ignored. This she believes is due to her bra allergy. Wilbanks’s claims of retaliation by MDOC were also not addressed by MDOC.