Prohibition Criminals and Violators

Among the few successes of Prohibition, the largest was the rapid increase in vice criminals and overall crime across the United States.[1] From 1900 to 1919 the average homicide rate per year was at 2,198.[2] However, with the passage of prohibition that rate would take a dramatic rise to an average of 8,493.[3] What these statistics demonstrate, in addition to the information that agent manuals describe, is that Prohibition marked a shift in the face of crime in America. As a consequence of the prohibition of a popular beverage, citizens who otherwise would have never committed any serious crime were now deemed criminals because they chose to continue their victimless habit. In addition to creating a large group of new criminals, Prohibition also contributed to the rapid growth of organized crime.[4]

For those who had not been involved in crime before, the Prohibition Bureau became a menacing figure to avoid. Therefore these new criminals had to become creative. To avoid detection many rumrunners began to develop numerous ways to avoid Prohibition agents. This need gave way to high speed drivers who used their vehicles and knowledge of the local terrain to out run agents.[5] Rumrunners began altering and modifying vehicles to travel at faster speeds and through tough terrain. Similarly, smugglers modifying their shoes with the inclusion of wood blocks carved into the shape of a cow’s hoof.[6] This would allow them to camouflage their foot prints and hopefully fool agents.

However, these practices were not reserved for smugglers only. A shift in popular shoe fashion was driven by the public’s love for illicit alcohol. Russian boots, a tall boot with a wide brim, became a popular fashion with women and men. Although not particularly attractive, the boot’s wide circumference proved to be the perfect size for holding a flask filled with the owner’s favorite drink.[7] Because of their wide brim, the wearer could tuck in their pant leg to further hide the boot’s content. Their wide spread use gave way to the term bootlegger, a term synonymous with the production of an illegal product. These various innovations, although targeted by the Prohibition Bureau, continued to develop and helped strengthen the argument against Prohibition.[8] By the beginning of the 1930’s, the continued widespread violation of Prohibition and the growing influence of organized crime had become a national concern and created doubt about whether this “noble experiment” should be continued.