IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i22p15045-d973551.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

“I Just Don’t Know What to Believe”: Sensemaking during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Criminal Legal Involved Communities

Author

Listed:
  • Rochelle Davidson Mhonde

    (Department of Global and Community Health, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA)

  • Breonna Riddick

    (Department of Communication, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA)

  • Aayushi Hingle

    (Department of Communication, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA)

  • Cameron Shaw

    (Schar School of Policy and Government, Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA)

  • Danielle Rudes

    (College of Criminal Justice Huntsville, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX 77341, USA)

  • Harold Pollack

    (Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy and Practice, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA)

  • John Schneider

    (Departments of Medicine and Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA)

  • Xiaoquan Zhao

    (Department of Communication, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA)

  • Faye S. Taxman

    (Schar School of Policy and Government, Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA)

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, those involved with the criminal legal system experience disproportionate vulnerability to infection, transmission, and mortality, facing additional systemic barriers due to criminal legal involvement (CLI) (e.g., prior incarcerations or probationary status affecting employability or housing security). We use Weick’s (1979) model of sensemaking as a theoretical framework to inform our examination of CLI individuals’ experiences during the pandemic. The primary objective of this paper is to explore the process of sensemaking amid misinformation, trust/mistrust, and vulnerability during the pandemic among CLI communities in three central states (Illinois, Louisiana, and Arkansas). We conducted seven online focus groups ( n = 44), between December 2020 and January 2021, from the targeted communities about their awareness of misinformation, trusted or distrusted sources, attitudes about COVID-19 health behaviors (including testing, protective behaviors such as mask-wearing and social distancing, and vaccination), and experiences with the criminal legal system during the pandemic. The concept of equivocality was at the core of the narratives shared among participants, with uncertainty emerging as a meta-theme across all focus groups. The findings of this study should prove useful for those who are developing messaging to combat mis/disinformation and overcome mis/distrust with the medical system and government institutions among those who are disenfranchised.

Suggested Citation

  • Rochelle Davidson Mhonde & Breonna Riddick & Aayushi Hingle & Cameron Shaw & Danielle Rudes & Harold Pollack & John Schneider & Xiaoquan Zhao & Faye S. Taxman, 2022. "“I Just Don’t Know What to Believe”: Sensemaking during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Criminal Legal Involved Communities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-17, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:22:p:15045-:d:973551
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/22/15045/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/22/15045/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. David R. Williams & Lisa A. Cooper, 2019. "Reducing Racial Inequities in Health: Using What We Already Know to Take Action," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-26, February.
    2. Mariana P Miranda & Rui Costa-Lopes & Gonçalo Freitas & Catarina L Carvalho, 2021. "Early release from prison in time of COVID-19: Determinants of unfavourable decisions towards Black prisoners," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(5), pages 1-17, May.
    3. Paul E Farmer & Bruce Nizeye & Sara Stulac & Salmaan Keshavjee, 2006. "Structural Violence and Clinical Medicine," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 3(10), pages 1-6, October.
    4. Stretesky, Paul B. & Shelley, Tara O'Connor & Hogan, Michael J. & Unnithan, N. Prabha, 2010. "Sense-making and secondary victimization among unsolved homicide co-victims," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 38(5), pages 880-888, September.
    5. Sally Maitlis & Scott Sonenshein, 2010. "Sensemaking in Crisis and Change: Inspiration and Insights From Weick (1988)," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(3), pages 551-580, May.
    6. Karl E. Weick & Kathleen M. Sutcliffe & David Obstfeld, 2005. "Organizing and the Process of Sensemaking," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 16(4), pages 409-421, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Guiette, Alain & Vandenbempt, Koen, 2017. "Change managerialism and micro-processes of sensemaking during change implementation," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 65-81.
    2. Sevda Helpap & Sigrid Bekmeier-Feuerhahn & Luisa Pinkernelle, 2018. "Ambivalenzen in organisationalen Veränderungen [Ambivalence in Organizational Change]," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 70(3), pages 209-241, August.
    3. Miguel Alberto Gomez & Eula Bianca Villar, 2018. "Fear, Uncertainty, and Dread: Cognitive Heuristics and Cyber Threats," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(2), pages 61-72.
    4. Lionel Garreau & Serge Perrot, 2012. "Comprendre la dynamique de la socialisation organisationnelle: Une approche par le sensemaking," Post-Print halshs-00949067, HAL.
    5. Vanessa Diaz‐Moriana & Eric Clinton & Nadine Kammerlander, 2024. "Untangling Goal Tensions in Family Firms: A Sensemaking Approach," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(1), pages 69-109, January.
    6. Loréa Baïada-Hirèche & Lionel Garreau, 2014. "Exploring the dynamics of ethical judgment : the sensemaking-based evolution model," Post-Print halshs-01009708, HAL.
    7. Joep P. Cornelissen, 2012. "Sensemaking Under Pressure: The Influence of Professional Roles and Social Accountability on the Creation of Sense," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(1), pages 118-137, February.
    8. Niyati Kataria & Glen Kreiner & Elaine Hollensbe & Mathew L Sheep & Jeff Stambaugh, 2018. "The catalytic role of emotions in sensemaking: Evidence from the blogosphere," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 43(3), pages 456-475, August.
    9. Allard-Poesi, Florence, 2015. "Dancing in the dark: Making sense of managerial roles during strategic conversations," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 338-350.
    10. Ronit Yitshaki & Fredric Kropp & Benson Honig, 2022. "The Role of Compassion in Shaping Social Entrepreneurs’ Prosocial Opportunity Recognition," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 179(2), pages 617-647, August.
    11. Svensson, Martin & Hällgren, Markus, 2018. "Sensemaking in sensory deprived settings: The role of non-verbal auditory cues for emergency assessment," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 306-318.
    12. Yoo Jung Ha, 2021. "Foreign multinational enterprises and eco-innovation in local firms: the effect of imitation," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 20(4), pages 488-517, September.
    13. Dacy Câmara Lobosco & Paulo Victor Rodrigues Carvalho, 2023. "Transforming Sensemaking and Perceptions on Meteorological Data to Inform Emergency Decision-Making," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 32(2), pages 469-502, April.
    14. Eero Vaara & Andrea Whittle, 2022. "Common Sense, New Sense or Non‐Sense? A Critical Discursive Perspective on Power in Collective Sensemaking," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(3), pages 755-781, May.
    15. Genevieve Musca & Marie Perez & Linda Rouleau & Yvonne Giordano, 2010. ""Extreme" Organizational Ethnography: The Case of the Darwin Expedition in Patagonia," Post-Print halshs-00470018, HAL.
    16. Sari Mansour & Malik Faisal Azeem & Maureen Dollard & Rachael Potter, 2022. "How Psychosocial Safety Climate Helped Alleviate Work Intensification Effects on Presenteeism during the COVID-19 Crisis? A Moderated Mediation Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-18, October.
    17. Julia Balogun & Jean M. Bartunek & Boram Do, 2015. "Senior Managers’ Sensemaking and Responses to Strategic Change," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(4), pages 960-979, August.
    18. Nuwan Waidyanatha & Lutz Frommberger, 2022. "Comprehension and appropriateness of complex mobile pictographs for crisis communication," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 114(1), pages 583-604, October.
    19. Kalkman, Jori Pascal, 2020. "Sensemaking in crisis situations: Drawing insights from epic war novels," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(5), pages 698-707.
    20. Taran Patel & Rose Bote & Jovana Stanisljevic, 2024. "The ethical challenges of teaching business ethics: ethical sensemaking through the Goffmanian lens," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 190(1), pages 23-40, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:22:p:15045-:d:973551. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.