Story highlights Feminine hygiene products had previously been available to inmates for purchase

The change comes a month after a bill to reform federal prison policies for female inmates

(CNN) Federal prisons are now required to provide female inmates with a range of feminine hygiene products free of charge, according to the Bureau of Prisons.

A memo, issued by the bureau this month, requires all federal facilities that house female inmates to make two sizes of tampons and maxi pads available, in addition to panty liners.

"Wardens have the responsibility to ensure female hygiene products such as tampons or pads are made available for free in sufficient frequency and number," Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesman Justin Long wrote in an email. "Prior to the (memo), the type of products provided was not consistent, and varied by institution."

For Andrea James, 52, a former attorney and founder of the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, the memo was welcome news.

"It's huge, what the Bureau of Prisons has done," James said. "This issue has always been, across the board, an issue all incarcerated women were dealing with."

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