Prohibition and Organized Crime

Prohibition and Organized Crime

• Prohibition began in 1920, reshaping crime dynamics in America.
• Before Prohibition, criminal gangs operated at the societal margins, linked to political machines via bribery and corruption.
• Key ethnic gangs (Irish, Italian, Jewish, Polish) engaged in extortion, loansharking, and other street crimes.
• The Sicilian Mafia thrived before Prohibition through extortion tactics like the "Black Hand" racket, demanding payments under threat of violence.
• Political machines like New York's Tammany Hall allowed and profited from organized crime, mostly uncoordinated groups until Prohibition began.

Rise of Organized Crime

• Prohibition catalyzed the rise of organized crime, as illegal liquor became in high demand.
• Bootlegging emerged as a leading illegal industry, with gangsters working more systematically to control production and distribution.
• Criminal enterprises expanded their operations, employing professionals (lawyers, accountants, etc.) and enforcing power with violence through hired enforcers known as "torpedoes."