Question

Explain the relationship between prohibition and Risk of Organized Crime

Answer 1

During the era of Prohibition, the sale, distribution, and manufacturing of alcohol became illegal. This meant that stores and bars all over the US could no longer legally sell alcohol. Even though the original intent of this law was to reduce the amount of crime, it actually had the opposite effect. Crime rates sky rocketed during this time.

The reason why crime rates increased rapidly was because people were willing to risk going to jail in order to sell alcohol. The reason why they wanted to sell alcohol, even though it was illegal, was because it would result in making a significant amount of money. This lead to the creation of organized crime rings where rival gangs competed for business. People like Al Capone used violence and intimidation to ensure that no competitors would sell alcohol in one of his territories. The competition for customers and profit caused several violent events, including the Valentine's Day Massacre.