Date of Graduation

Summer 8-14-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (PsyD)

College/School

School of Nursing and Health Professions

Program

Clinical Psychology (PsyD)

First Advisor

Brent Rick Ferm, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Laura Marker, Psy.D.

Third Advisor

Shannon Dillon, Psy.D.

Abstract

In the United States, juvenile offending, reentry, and recidivism continue to be serious concerns for public and institutional policy making. Due to historical and current policies of both the education and juvenile justice system, youth of color (YOC) and youth with disabilities and diagnosed with mental health disorders have been overly disciplined by schools and disproportionately adjudicated by the juvenile justice system. In their annual Statistical Briefing Book, The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has consistently reported YOC, particularly Black youth, are arrested, adjudicated, and detained at much higher rates when compared to their white peers. Research has well established protective factors such as high educational attainment play an important role in reducing recidivism amongst juvenile offenders. However, there is still a gap in the literature—few studies have looked at the influence of specific resiliency factors on academic achievement for this population. This study is designed to help fill the gap in the literature regarding protective factors that promote high educational attainment of juvenile offenders. This qualitative dissertation study starts with interviews with currently enrolled college students who were formerly involved with the Juvenile Justice System. Findings were analyzed through an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to investigate how these students understood their own academic achievement and the experiences that led them towards postsecondary education. The findings of this study are supported by the developmental assets framework. The findings in this study demonstrate, young people who enrolled in college after spending time in a juvenile detention center did so with the help of various assets, or protective factors—Support, Boundaries and Expectations, Constructive Use of Time, Commitment to Learning, Positive Values, and Sense of Purpose.

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