IN INVESTIGATING THE DETERRENT EFFECT OF THE DEATH PENALTY, YUNKER CONSTRUCTS AN ANALOGY TO THE GENERAL SUPPLY AND DEMAND RELATIONSHIP BY ADOPTING A 'COBWEB' MODEL. YUNKER IS SAID TO HAVE COMMITTED A MAJOR VIOLATION OF THE RULES OF MODELING, WHICH HOLD THAT, ON THE BASIS OF THEORY, ONE PROPOSES A MODEL, HYPOTHESIZES THE DIRECTION OF RELATIONSHIPS, AND THEN TESTS THE HYPOTHESES WITH DATA. YUNKER, IT IS SUGGESTED, DID NOT FOLLOW THIS PROCEDURE, BUT RATHER DEVELOPED DATA THAT HE BELIEVED WOULD FIT HIS MODEL. THE ESTIMATION METHOD EMPLOYED BY YUNKER IS ALSO CRITICIZED. HIS ASSERTION THAT SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS SUCH AS URBANIZATION, WHITE-NONWHITE POPULATION RATIOS, AND YOUTH RATIOS CAN ACCOUNT FOR ONLY A SMALL FRACTION OF THE INCREASE IN THE HOMICIDE RATE DURING THE 1960'S IS SAID TO BE INCORRECT. ANALYSIS IN SUPPORT OF THESE CRITICISMS, PRESENTED. A LIST OF REFERENCES IS PROVIDED. (LKM)