In the reign of Xuan Di, Lu Wenshu suggested that criminal punishments be less severe. He argued that law should primarily protect life. Since the dead can never be brought back to life, it would be better to err on the side of leniency than to kill an innocent.
漢宣帝時，獄吏出身的獄史路溫舒則不時上書建議皇帝輕緩刑罰，他在〈路溫舒尚德緩刑書〉中說，法律是天下人寄託生命之處，死者不可再生，因此寧可失之寬縱，也不可殺害無辜。