Pioneering prosecutor sets the bar high in pursuit of tough penalties

Shi Jinglan has set an uncompromising standard for herself and her team of prosecutors: If a criminal suspect who should be sentenced to death under the law receives life imprisonment, it means the prosecutors have not done their best.

Shi made her name through her dedication to judicial justice and her pioneering reforms of work procedures, which have dramatically increased the efficiency of prosecutions and been promoted countrywide.

"I'm not dealing with cases but the lives of each and every person involved in these cases," said Shi, 44, who has worked as a prosecutor in Shanghai for 25 years.