Failure Of Prohibition

The growers pulled up their vines thinking their industry had evaporated due to prohibition, creating an enormous shortage of grapes. The realization of the mistake made the growers replant the vines at a greedy larger acreage which ultimately force the price of wine to a all time low by the end of the prohibition erra. Sadly, law enforcement and government employees, the prohibition agents, were not above the negative effects. They were tempted with bribes and lucrative bootlegging opportunities. Many were able to uphold the law but enough caved to the corruption to make public trust in law enforcement at a low.

A lot of people did not agree with prohibition and still wanted a way to get alcohol. Prohibition started because alcoholism and domestic violence was at a high and by getting rid of alcohol Congress thought domestic violence, bar fights and things of that nature would go away. Gangsters came to power because people needed a way to get alcohol and gangsters had it. But with the rise of gangsters came the rise of organized crime, which was just as bad if not worse than when people could freely get alcohol. One quote that explains how organized crime became more and more in power, “In Chicago a bare six months of prohibition has raised the total of crime, figured for the entire year, more than 25 per cent.

Many people ended up dying from many causes during prohibition. But some were more serious causes than others. Mostly because some were intentional shootings between gangs and folks arguing over the liquor because of the little amount available. Others were because gangs would fight over territories and if other gangs were trying to sell to their customers. Some gang fights even became famously known “ The worst episode was the St. Valentine's Day Massacre on February 14, 1929.

But they fail to realize that the system we have now throws anyone in jail no matter if the person committed the crime or not. They also fail to realize that the current system sentencing isn't organized or fair because there are people out there innocent and people who don’t deserve that time that was given for petty crimes. The current system doesn’t seek for justice, they see everyone who gets arrested as a criminal and feels they should be thrown away for a very long time and that isn't fair. Sentencing reforming is highly recommended due to the outrageous modern sentencing practices we have today. People go to jail or maybe even prison for such petty crimes that doesn't deserve the many years that were given to them.

In general, Prohibition was enforced much more strongly in areas where the population was sympathetic to the legislation mainly rural areas and small towns and much more loosely in urban areas. The prohibition was also very difficult to enforce because the local police and commissionaires were receiving very lucrative bribes for they not to prosecute the bootleggers. Despite very early signs of success, including a decline in arrests for drunkenness and a reported 30 percent drop in alcohol consumption, those who wanted to keep drinking found ever-more inventive ways to do it. The illegal manufacturing and sale of liquor, also known as “bootlegging”, went on throughout the decade, along with the operation of “speakeasies”, nightclubs selling alcohol, the smuggling of alcohol across state lines and the informal production of liquor “moonshine” or “bathtub gin”, in private homes. This practice proved to be very dangerous because the level of alcohol was very high and that it could contain ethanol a dangerous type of alcohol that can be deadly.

They say law enforcement must have more power to prosecute and convict juvenile offenders for serious crimes and to deal with gang members. Con: Opponents say Department of Justice statistics show that serious juvenile crime has steadily declined in recent years and California already has tough laws against gangs and youth crime. They argue that the measure carries a high price tag; more jails and prisons will need to be built, taking money away from other government services and current efforts to prevent violence. Case Examples One of the most discussed cases was that of Alonza Thomas, Opponents of Prop 21 are furious with his case; they state that, not only did Alonza hurt no one, he also suffered permanent harm from the prison. They believe that he would have been better off without Prop 21, and he would have turned into a much better person.

This puts innocent bystanders at risk and causes tourists to avoid the area where the intoxicated person is, which hurts the local businesses because they are not bringing in customers. Squeegeeing, once a major cause of annoyance for New Yorkers and tourists was largely taken care of with the implementation of Broken Windows Policing. In the 1980’s, Rudy Guiliani, New York City’s Mayor fought against aggressive panhandlers, such as squeegee men. The squeegee men would disrupt traffic by going out into the streets when cars were stopped at a red light and

Many drug offenders are often forced into the drug business because of economic reasons, resulting from the increased difficulty of finding jobs after prison, due to the felony that is attached to their name. Employers are often discouraged from hiring a person that has committed a felony, because of the uncertainty in their behavior. A study done by the Urban Institute, found that only 45% of all Americans that had been to prison, had a job within a year of being released. It was even lower for drug offenders, as only 25% of all drug offenders in the United States were able to find a job once released (McVay). It’s hard enough finding a well paying job because of the current state of the economy in the United States.

Accustomed to such inconsistent treatment. ……young people are bombarded with mixed signals about the scope of their rights and the depth of their responsibilities. And most of those mixed signals come from the laws of state and local government.” (Governing.com Page 1) These confusing laws make nothing easier and in fact they make young people’s lives more difficult. My opinion on the whole situation is that the drinking age should be lowered because of binge drinking. Since the drinking age has been twenty-one it has not stopped underage teens for drinking and has actually caused more problems.

One of the biggest reasons the prohibition failed was because they couldn't keep up with the crime it had caused. It failed to enforce sobriety and costing billions and then rapidly lost popular support in the early 1930s. Even after the repeal some states still followed it. They maintained several statewide temperance laws. Prohibition had nothing to compare to what was beginning.