The penal system, the court and prison system, was under major stress during the trying times of Prohibition. There were so many crimes during Prohibition that the court system was overburdened. The jails were full and the police were overworked. On March 3, 1923, Time reported that “ 44% of the work of the United States District Attorneys is confined to Prohibition cases.” In 1932 alone, 80,000 people were convicted of crimes related to Prohibition. During the first year of prohibition alone, the number of inmates at Sing Sing Prison increased by 36%.

While many thought that Prohibition would lead to the reduction of crime, it really increased the number of people in prisons.