Preparing Juvenile Offenders for College and Career Readiness: A Cognitive Information Processing Approach

ABSTRACT

Youth with juvenile justice (JJ) interactions and/or adjudications face a number of challenges as they transition back into their community, including college and career readiness needs. In addition to the typical concerns of adolescents facing postsecondary decisions, these youths’ decisions are complicated by a myriad of other factors, often including an arrest record, poor social support, substance abuse issues, low socioeconomic status, and mental health concerns. While some career development research has centered on the career development of offenders, and the call for integrative career programs has been voiced, no scholarly articles were found that described the application of a career counseling model to youthful offenders. In this article, a well-researched career delivery model, cognitive information processing (CIP), and potential applications for youthful offenders are described. A case scenario is provided, and implications for research, practice, and consultation are outlined.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Debra S. Osborn

Deb Osborn is an Associate Professor in the Educational Psychology & Learning Systems department, College of Education, at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, USA, and is Co-Director of FSU’s Center for the Study of Technology in Counseling and Career Development. She received her PhD in Combined Counseling Psychology and School Psychology from Florida State University in 1998. Dr. Osborn’s program of research includes three foci, including: (a) the design and use of technology in counseling, (b) innovation and effectiveness in counselor education; and (c) the design and use of assessments in career services.

Jacqueline G. Belle

Jacqueline “Jackie” Gabbard Belle is an Assistant Director of Career Advising and Counseling at the Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. Jackie received her MS and EdS degrees in Counseling and Human Systems, with a major in Career Counseling, from Florida State University in 2017. Her research interests include the relationship between career and mental health, and career services for collegiate student-athletes and military service members transitioning out of the military.

The authors report that to the best of their knowledge neither they nor their affiliated institutions have financial or personal relationships or affiliations that could influence or bias the opinions, decisions, or work presented in this article.