In 1994, Congress increased the number of federal offenses that could lead to the death penalty from 13 to about 60. Some states were quick to follow.

• Murders related to immigrant smuggling, torture, terrorism, marine sabotage, drive-by shootings, trafficking in large quantities of drugs and sexual exploitation of children now qualify for death sentences under federal law.

• At the state level, however, moves to expand the death penalty were blocked in Illinois, California and Washington state last year.

• Some pro-capital punishment groups contend that extending it too far could produce a backlash -- and would also open it to legal challenges.

• Also, making rape punishable by death might take away the incentive to let the victim live.

Michael Rushford, president of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation -- which supports capital punishment -- say we "have a death penalty that is effective today because it is consistently applied only to the worst of our murders."

Source: Richard Willing, "Expansion of the Death Penalty to Nonmurders Faces Challenges," USA Today, May 14, 1997.