Bail is money people pay to leave jail as their cases unfold in court. A new policy that started in September said all bail must be a set at amounts defendants can afford. Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans says in one month that policy dropped the jail population by almost 850 people — saving the county significant cash.

Evans shared the the numbers during a budget hearing Friday. The county is looking to close a $200 million budget hole for next year after the County Board repealed the sweetened-beverage tax. To save cash, Evans says he proposes closing one of the branch courts. He also wants to cut juvenile detention alternatives and a program that helps people avoid home foreclosures.