Theft by Any Other Name is Still Theft: Examining "Looting" During the COVID-19 Pandemic
ORCID
May: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8275-6773
MSU Affiliation
College of Arts and Sciences; Department of Sociology
Creation Date
2026-06-01
Abstract
The current study examines newspaper reports of looting to answer two questions: (1) how was looting framed by U.S. newspapers during the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) did any looting actually occur? Looting after natural disasters, particularly hurricanes, has recently received increased attention in scholarly research. The crisis caused by the pandemic of SARS-CoV2 (hereafter COVID-19), while not a natural disaster, has provided many of the same opportunities for looting that have been previously observed following natural disasters. Our findings suggest looting charges were widely used, particularly in California, but that little actual looting took place. In fact, most of those situations referred to as “looting” were traditional property crimes that were treated as looting to enhance the penalty for the action. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for researchers and policymakers.
Publication Date
2-24-2023
Publication Title
Deviant Behavior
Publisher
Taylor and Francis Group; Routledge
First Page
1320
Last Page
1333
Recommended Citation
Barranco, R. E., & May, D. C. (2023). Theft by Any Other Name is Still Theft: Examining “Looting” During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Deviant Behavior, 44(9), 1320–1333. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639625.2023.2182657
