21.   We prosecute capital murderers in Texas, and we have no qualms about putting them to death when jurors mandate the ultimate punishment.

22.   But a debate already has begun over whether the ultimate punishment might ultimately backfire.

23.   The decline signals that wrongful murder convictions and a lower homicide rate are driving down the use of the ultimate punishment.

24.   President Fidel Ramos has campaigned for a law that will impose the ultimate punishment on such sex offenders.