Indonesia's Supreme Court on Wednesday implemented a new policy stipulating that the theft of anything less than Rp 2.5 million ($258) would be classified as a petty crime and would not require the perpetrator to be detained before a trial.

"This new policy will give better access to justice for poor and marginalized people, it will help them to obtain more professional justice," Supreme Court Chief Justice Hatta Ali said on Wednesday, as quoted by Indonesian news portal Viva.co.id.

The guideline was changed following public outcry over a series of highly publicized cases of courts seemingly going after the young, the poor and the elderly.

Ridwan Mansyur, the Supreme Court spokesman, said under the new guidelines, petty theft would be handled by only one judge and could be settled by mediation. A petty crime was previously defined as an act that caused a loss of less than Rp 250.

A 55-year-old Indonesian grandmother, Rasminah, was recently convicted for stealing oxtail meat and plates. The police detained Rasminah for four months without legal assistance before news of her case broke and the subsequent public outrage led to her release.

Last year, an 11-year-old boy was charged with unpleasant conduct in Sidrap, South Sulawesi, after a stone he threw apparently hit the house of a local businessman.