(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca) January 18, 2021 - 1:28 PM New policy changes introduced by the B.C. Prosecution Service aims to increase fairness and reduce overrepresentation of Indigenous people facing the province’s criminal justice system. The B.C. Prosecution Service announced the changes in a press release issued Friday, Jan. 15, which are part of the Indigenous Justice Framework policy introduced in April, 2019. A key aspect of the new policy emphasizes the need for restraint in all sentencing and bail matters, recognizing jail terms — particularly those of two years or less — should be seen as a last resort. The new policies include a requirement for Crown counsel to consider “all reasonable alternatives to prosecution,” increasing the number and types of offences that can be considered for an alternative to prosecution.