Televising executions, primetime 'live'?

The possibility of a televised execution may seem bizarre, but it has many supporters who include advocates and opponents of capital punishment. This article examines the pathways to a televised execution, including 1st Amendment issues, principles of open government and victim's rights. The second section reviews the potential for additional publicity to create a deterrent effect, stimulate further violence and make celebrity criminal heroes. The third section questions whether a televised execution would cause abhorrence by showing the reality of an execution, its methods or informing people about capital punishment.