Games & Entertainment

Jail Runner
What happened to jailed rum runners after the end of prohibition?

Prohibition in the US ended in 1933. What happened to the people who had been imprisoned for alcohol manufacturing, transport, sale or other crimes that became legal with the repeal of prohibition? Were their sentences commuted or repealed?

the 21st amendment only ended the nationwide prohibition of manufacture and sale of alcohol – it did not end prohibition –

The Twenty-first Amendment explicitly gives states the right to restrict or ban the purchase or sale of alcohol; this has led to a patchwork of laws, in which alcohol may be legally sold in some but not all towns or counties within a particular state. After the repeal of the national constitutional amendment, some states continued to enforce prohibition laws. Mississippi, which had made alcohol illegal in 1907, was the last state to repeal Prohibition, in 1966. Kansas did not allow sale of liquor “by the drink” (on-premises) until 1987. There are numerous “dry” counties or towns where no liquor is sold, even though liquor can often be brought in for private consumption.

It didn’t make the previous illegal actions of someone legal so there would not have been any overall commutation or repeal of sentences. No doubt the more liberal states took more liberal views on parole after the passing of the 21st amendment and released prisoners on parole earlier than they would have done before the amendment.