COVID-19 and Homicide Special Issue Introduction

• Author: Jill T. Messing,Millan A. AbiNader
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/10887679221113516
• Published date: 01 November 2022
• Date: 01 November 2022
• Subject Matter: Special Issue Editor’s Introduction

https://doi.org/10.1177/10887679221113516

Homicide Studies

2022, Vol. 26(4) 327 –332

© 2022 SAGE Publications

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DOI: 10.1177/10887679221113516

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Special Issue Editor’s Introduction

COVID-19 and Homicide

Special Issue Introduction

Jill T. Messing1 and Millan A. AbiNader2

Since early 2020, over 2 years ago at the time of this writing, COVID-19 has affected

all aspects of life across the world. In the U.S., over 1 million deaths have been attrib-

uted to COVID-19 (CDC, 2022), and Americans report numerous ways that their

lives, jobs, and relationships have shifted due to the pandemic (van Kessel et al.,

2021). As stay-at-home orders were enacted across states to reduce the spread of the

virus people’s lives were impacted across multiple domains: schools closed, unem-

ployment increased, and many people experienced economic hardship (Center on

Budget and Policy Priorities, 2022). At the same time, outrage about excessive police

violence against Black Americans in particular, resulted in protests after the murder of

George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, by police on May 25, 2020, which followed

closely on the heels of the murder of Breonna Taylor, an unarmed black woman, by

police on March 13, 2020.

Some evidence indicates that there was an increase in certain types of violence dur-

ing this time, including increases in domestic and intimate partner violence (Bullinger

et al., 2020; Gosangi et al., 2021; Leslie & Wilson, 2020; McKay et al., 2020; Miller

et al., 2020). Across multiple cities, domestic violence calls for service increased, as

did domestic violence hotline calls (Bullinger et al., 2020; Leslie & Wilson, 2020;

Miller et al., 2020). Homicide rates across the U.S. also appear to have increased

(Anderson, 2021). However, little is known about the nature and extent of the prob-

lem, causal mechanisms, effects of disease reduction policies, or the contexts of homi-

cide during this time. This special issue, therefore, examines the effects of COVID-19

on gun violence and fatal interpersonal violence.

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the ways that we engage in

homicide prevention practice, both within social service and law enforcement agen-

cies, and the ways that researchers engage with practitioners to collect data to inform

1Arizona State University, Phoenix, USA

2University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA

Corresponding Author:

Millan A. AbiNader, School of Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania, 3701 Locust Walk,

Caster Building, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6214, USA.

Email: millan.abinader@sp2.upenn.edu

1113516HSXXXX10.1177/10887679221113516Homicide StudiesMessing and AbiNader

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