BATON ROUGE - In a day about forgiveness, a line of people filled with anxiety and relief wrapped around the Baton Rouge City Court building, waiting for their chance at a fresh start.

Hundreds of warrants were resolved Friday in East Baton Rouge Parish, including traffic offenses, misdemeanors, and non-violent felonies. It was called the "Community Warrant Resolution Clinic."

Kendrick Knighten came to support his friends but found he had a warrant he could resolve. Knighten wants to become an electrician, but he can't do that with a warrant hanging over his head.

"I can't go to jail today," Knighten said. "You can't get a job, you can't go to school."

Another participant says she's a mother, afraid to be away from her family, and looking to turn her life around. Despite attending college and having two degrees, one in massage therapy, she can't get a job in her field.

Kristen Flemming says a decade ago, her warrants stacked up, but fear stopped her from showing up to court dates.

"That's not a good feeling," Flemming said.

That same fear lingered in the air; those in line tapped their feet. However, the clinic had another purpose: to clear the backlog of cases in the criminal court. Now charges for Knighten and Flemming are cleared as part of this program.

Still, Public Defenders were on hand to discuss cases, and the Constable's Office also was there to consult with anyone who might have a city court case pending. Constable Terrica Williams says the event is important to her office because of the massive backlog she attributes to low pay and the loss of officers.

"Constables are the ones that pretty much go out and do the arrests on the warrants, and we try to clear the backlogs up, but of course, we're shorthanded," Williams said.

Williams says an unpaid traffic ticket isn't worth putting someone behind bars.

For those who were unable to attend the parish-wide event, Williams says attending court could be the best way to resolve warrants is by attending court dates.