There were problems obtaining a sequence of data on rates of capital crimes in Australia covering a period when capital punishment was being used and uncontaminated by possible changes in the way the data were defined or compiled. There are also difficulties arising from the confusion between incidents of crime and offenses, as well as questions of how accurately recorded crime figures reflected the true crime rate at the time of the offense. This analysis used causes of death figures; the trend in homicides was plotted and the mathematical slope of the curve measured. The changes in slope over 1- and 5-year periods were calculated to determine the relationship between numbers of executions and subsequent rates of capital offenses. The analysis showed little support for the deterrence theory, either for an effect lasting 1 year or an effect lasting 5 years. In general, there was no effect on the homicide rate whether executions took place in a given year or not. 3 tables and 5 figures