I have a niece who has been in and out of jail most of her life on drug charges (user). She is the only one in the entire family that has used drugs. She is very smart academically. She claims that she is ready to settle down and go to college. She wants to major in Criminal Justice. Is there any chance at all for her to better herself by attending college to become the lawyer that she wants to be?

I'd say so. Getting a license to practice law with a felony record may be tough but she can pursue a career in any of a number of related fields, such as paralegal, social worker, psychologist, etc.