Tana Ganeva Tana Ganeva Tana Ganeva is a reporter covering criminal justice, drugs, politics, immigration and guns. She’s written for the Washington Post, Rolling Stone, The Intercept, Gothamist and Glamour. @TanaGaneva
‘Habitual Offender’ Laws Imprison Thousands for Small Crimes—Sometimes for Life Data obtained by The Appeal show nearly 2,000 people in Mississippi and Louisiana are serving long—and sometimes life—sentences after they were labeled “habitual offenders." But most are behind bars for small crimes like drug possession. Tana Ganeva
The Medical Examiner Said He Died of ‘Excited Delirium.’ Medical Experts Say Police Strangled Him to Death. Sterling Higgins died in a Tennessee jail in 2019 after officers pinned him to the floor. Two new medical experts’ reports describe the incident as homicide. Tana Ganeva
As Decriminalization Drives Reforms For Marijuana Convictions, Activists See Others Serving Time Left Behind Despite the growing consciousness around the need for reforms, thousands of prisoners who might also deserve clemency or early release are slipping through the cracks. Tana Ganeva
Suit Seeks $10 Million For ‘Senseless, Avoidable Death’ Of Tennessee Man In Custody Sterling Higgins called 911 in March 2019 seeking help during a mental health crisis. Police took him to Obion County Jail, where he died after officers pinned him to a floor. Tana Ganeva
George Floyd’s Death Puts Spotlight On Controversial Syndrome Called ‘Excited Delirium’ Coroners and police departments have cited the condition in cases across the country, often clearing officers of wrongdoing when people die in their custody. In Floyd’s case, experts say, the diagnosis is irrelevant to his death. Tana Ganeva
‘I Am Feeling Scared And Alone.’ The Reopening Of America Leaves Behind Prisoners Who Remain At Risk Of COVID-19 Texas’s governor has proclaimed that ‘safe practices save lives,’ but prisoners say that advice can’t be followed in the state’s prisons, where unsanitary conditions have left the novel coronavirus ‘spreading vigorously.’ Tana Ganeva
Death Of New Mother At Federal Prison Hospital Prompts Calls For Accountability In Texas Andrea Circle Bear was confined within FMC Carswell while suffering from the novel coronavirus. ‘She was serving a 26-month sentence that ended up being a death penalty,’ one maternity specialist said. Tana Ganeva
For Women At A Federal Prison Hospital In Texas, Fear That Coronavirus Will Spread ‘Like Wildfire’ ‘This is getting worse,’ one woman said. ‘People just want to sleep or fight. They play with our emotions constantly. This place is scary.’ Tana Ganeva
Report From Inside Angola Prison Paints A Troubling Picture As Coronavirus Grips Louisiana 'We are still packed in like sardines,' writes Fate Winslow, who's serving a life sentence. 'The prison doesn't supply anything for us.' Tana Ganeva
Woman Faces Life In Prison For Sharing Drugs With Another Woman In Jail A 22-year-old woman overdosed and died in jail. A 24-year-old faces first-degree murder charges. Did the system fail them both? Tana Ganeva
