DONALDSONVILLE — The Ascension Parish Sheriffs Office hosted a Second Chance event for people in the community who have criminal records where they were given the opportunity to have their records expunged and reenter society with new employment opportunities. 

"We'd like to say we've come full circle on trying to do community outreach in a big way. And the reason we can do that is because we can partner with other agencies," Sheriff Bobby Webre said.

One of those agencies is the Justice and Accountability Center of Louisiana. Sherie Thomas, the executive director, says they host events like this all across the state. 

"(About) 1.3 million individuals in Louisiana have a criminal record that's one-third of our state and it's very important because it hinders individuals from getting great jobs and fair housing," Thomas said.

Thomas says everyone was still set up for success by the time they left the building.

"They can get their bill of information, court minutes and background check, and be able to log on online and use our app and the app will pre populate the forms and they can take those forms to the clerk of court and fill their expungement on their own," Thomas said.