This paper discusses the controversy that has traditionally surrounded the issue of capital punishment. When a Texas television reporter sought permission to televise the execution of a convicted murderer by lethal injection in 1983, arguments were advanced both for and against televising executions. A recent poll shows that 84% of Americans support capital punishment. However, some researchers feel that televising executions would encourage aggressive tendencies and result in commission of similar crimes. Historical and statistical data suggest that, apart from a short-lived effect lasting a few days, no observable decline in capital crimes would result from televised executions. Perhaps a limited trial run of televised executions in a state such as Texas could be monitored by surveying the potential audience before and after such exposure and observing its effects. (DF)