During the 1920s and 1930s, crime in the United States appeared unmanageable. The number of people imprisoned in state and federal institutions between 1926 and 1936 rose from approximately 96,000 to 144,000. One contributing factor to the high crime rate was the passage of the Volstead Act in 1920. This law, also known as Prohibition, outlawed the manufacture and distribution of alcohol. Because it could not be obtained legally, manufacturing, selling, and transporting alcohol became profitable for criminals. Another reason for the high crime rate was the Great Depression, a time when many Americans could barely afford food, clothing, or shelter. Desperate people committed desperate acts, and a new wave of crimes—primarily kidnappings, murders, and armed robberies—took place in the decade known as "the Dirty Thirties."

Banks were prime targets of armed robbers. Those banks that remained open after...