Gov. Edward J. King kicked off housings the state Committee on Criminal Justice yesterday afternoon by strongly urging that the state re-enact the death penalty for convicted murderers.

"There is four in the streets and in our homes," King said in his testimony. "It has been just 13 years [since the death penalty in this country] was effectively in existence, yet violent crime has been rapidly increasing throughout that time."

King appeared at the hearings to encourage legislators to support a bill calling for an amendment to the state's constitution which would permit capital punishment legislation. If both houses support the bill before the legislature adjourns in June, the question will go before the voters in November.

"The voters of this Commonwealth have a right to vote on this question," King said, adding that "this is the only way the issue of capital punishment can be decided democratically."

Although King's comments drew considerable attention, most of the speakers--including a number of religious leaders--opposed the proposal. Throughout the discussion, speakers raised issues on the morality of the method, its effectiveness as a deterrent for murderers, and the possible racial inequalities stemming from its application.

The Rev. James Nash, executive director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches, directly followed King, calling capital punishment "unnecessary,, unjust and intolerable," Asked whether voters should be allowed to decide, be added, "We do not concede the right to the state to take life."

Rabbi Roland Gittelaon, former president of the national conference of American Rabbis, said that "every single sociological study in this country indicates that [the death penalty] is ineffective as a deterrent." He added that "every time there is an execution, there is an increase rather than a decrease in murders."

In his address, King said that the death penalty would be applied evenly, regardless of "color or social status." But Cambridge Rep. Saundra Graham told the committee that "if we say we want the death penalty, we say we would like to get rid of minorities in this country. We should not be in the business of Murder Incorporated," she concluded.

Legislators

Legislators on the committee were unwitting to predict whether the measure will pass the legislature. The legislature has confidently supported some form of death penalty legislation throughout the decade, it was thwarted once by a gubernatorial veto, and twice by the Supreme Judician Court. The legislature voted in 1980 by an overwhelming majority to support the constitutional amendment.

But this time opposition is more organized, lead by a coalition of religious groups. While state Protestant leaders have always worked against capital punishment driver, this year Catholic and Jewish organisations have actively joined them.