The major proposition of “social innovation” provides a historic opportunity for reform of death penalty system. In the context of social management innovation, death penalty is an important means of social management beyond a simple penalty method. According the goal of “good governance” and avoiding the negative effects of death penalty as well as using death penalty to resolve social conflicts , death penalty must be carried out reform and innovation. Academia should seize the social management innovation opportunity, follow the path from judicial restrictions to legislation reduce, as well as promote the reform of Chinese death penalty system progressively and actively.