At the height of his political career, he served as executive vice-president of the Supreme People's Court, the highest level of China's judiciary.
After graduating in 1983, Shen was assigned to Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi province, as an official in the Provincial Commission of Politics and Law.
He became the deputy secretary of Jiangxi Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in February 1997, and served until October 1998.
[7] He was secretary of Shanghai Municipal Discipline Inspection Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in November 2006, and held that office until April 2008.
He became chairperson of the Social and Legal Affairs Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in March 2018, serving in the post until his formally resignation from office in June 2018.