Obviously the bourgeoisie don't need the death penalty to remain in power. Therefore, I'd suggest it's a sop thrown to the lower orders as an entertainment and a distraction, a way for them to vent their rage and a fuel for the useful fires of caste resentment. As such it's a symptom of the class war, and a campaign against the death penalty can be revolutionary if it reminds people of this relationship, which also shows up in the immediately related matters of the Drug War, the prison- industrial complex, and the political and criminal activities of the police. The campaign may be more effective if revolutionary, since the connections and implications may embarrass the official candidates more than mere appeals to humanity, so easily deflected by them into vacuous cliches.