The last time I checked the stats, over -> 40% <- of the felons on Death Row were out on parole, bail, or some other form of release from an *earlier* crime at the time that they committed the offense that earned them the death penalty...
Recidivisim in 1983 was 62%, in 1994 it was 68%. I doubt it was better reporting or increased arrest and incarceration that caused such a jump in the stats...this was under slick willie's watch when we had added 100,000 new COPS to the streets of a nation the size of ours (what a joke).