An Erie County Councilman wants to offer free community college tuition to non-violent criminals once they are released from prison, calling it part of a much-needed change to the county's prison system.

Councilman Andre Horton on Monday discussed the recent arrest of a suspect in his stepson's killing, but he used the platform to propose a big change in Erie County - using taxpayer money to cover community college tuition for non-violent offenders.

Community leaders said they still need to thoroughly vet the idea, but on the surface, they like it.

Community college is cheaper compared to the costs of imprisoning someone, and they said a support system helps people avoid future crimes.

"Overall, if we can work with people who are coming back into our community, so that they can feel that someone supports them, I think it's a good idea," said James Sherrod, executive director of the MLK Center in Erie.

Horton said his idea makes economic sense. It costs about $40,000 to incarcerate someone for a year, but a two-year community college degree costs about a tenth of that.

County Council would have to agree to the idea and budget money for it before it could ever be enacted.