Tracy Andrus

Tracy Andrus (born September 26, 1962) is a criminologist who is recognized for the development of two crime theories —"Enviroecogenetics" and "Broke Theory." He earned four college degrees and became the first African American in the United States to earn a Ph.D. in juvenile justice. After being sentenced to 57 years in prison for check kiting, Andrus spent only three years in the Louisiana and Texas Department of Corrections and was released in 1994. This started his interest in the criminal justice system. Andrus spends at least 20 weeks out of the year traveling abroad speaking to disadvantaged youth who are children of felons or have parents currently incarcerated in prison. Andrus is the Director of Criminal Justice at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas. Andrus received a grant from the Department of Homeland Security in 2010 and 2011 to study "Equal Protection of the law in the Era of Terrorism" and spent ten weeks in Seattle with two student researchers. Andrus received additional funding for $50,000 from DHS to continue his study in 2011. Andrus was awarded a grant from the Sam Taylor Foundation to track law enforcement killings in the United States in 2014. In 2015 Andrus applied for and was granted acceptance to participate in the Second Chance Pell Initiative through the Department of Education. Andrus was named Executive Director of Wiley College's Second Chance Pell Program which offered degrees to offenders who were incarcerated in prison. Wiley College was one of only three HBCUs granted acceptance into the Second Chance Pell Program during its initial launch.

Andrus graduated from Crowley High School in 1981 with honors and attended Louisiana College in Pineville, Louisiana, US, where he graduated in 2000 with a degree in criminal justice. He later graduated from the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 2001 with a master's degree in criminal justice. On May 7, 2005, Andrus completed his doctorate at Prairie View A&M University became the first African American in the US to earn a Ph.D. in juvenile justice. Andrus developed the Enviroecogenetics Theory which focuses on environment, economics, and genetics as causes of crime. Andrus is also credited with developing the theory that people who do not have money or anything to lose are predisposed to a greater extent to engage in criminal activity. Andrus' broke theory proposes that people who are living in comfortable settings and earning decent incomes are less likely to engage in criminal activity. Andrus theory aligns with Edwin Sutherland's Differential Association Theory. Andrus also earned his prior learning assessment certificate and his Mastery Certificate from the University of Chicago and the Council On Adult and Experiential Learning. Andrus is also president and CEO of the Council on Higher Educational Solutions For Adults (CHESA).

Andrus was elected president of the Southwestern Association of Criminal Justice in 2008, and is an ordained minister and pastor of Edward Chapel MBC in Marshall, Texas. Andrus was elected vice chair of the Minority and Women Section of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences which is the largest criminal justice conference.

Published by Createspace, Why Are So Many Black Folks In Jail? was released in December 2011 and raises questions about the functions of incarceration in the United States. Andrus is an advocate for African Americans and felons in the US. Andrus is also the author of Beneath the Skin of Black Folks, From Prisoner to PhD and a Macro Analysis of Poverty and African American Incarceration. Andrus published his book "Ex Felon Survival Guide" 2013 and in 2015, "Customer Service - The Reason Some HBCU's are Destined to Fail.

Andrus is credited with developing two evolving theories on crime—Enviroecogenetics and Broke Theory—and is the author of three books: Beneath the Skin of Black Folks, From Prisoner to Ph.D., and Why Are So Many Black Folks In Jail? Dr. Andrus is Director of Criminal Justice at Wiley College and President and CEO of the Council On Higher Education Solutions For Adults (CHESA). Dr. Andrus is also President and CEO of Tracy Andrus Foundation.