> The logical conclusion of this line of thought is that Al Capone should have walked free when prohibition ended. I can't support that. Al Capone was famously

> The logical conclusion of this line of thought is that Al Capone should have walked free when prohibition ended. I can't support that. Al Capone was famously only convicted of tax evasion, so I'm not sure this is relevant. And bootlegging wasn't what made him "Public Enemy #1", it was the violence he used to run his gang. Those actions would still be crimes without prohibition. The US is fairly unique among Western countries in that the repeal of a law doesn't automatically end the sentences of people convicted of breaking it (AFAIK - this came up here on HN in the last few months).