Data examined come from the youth offending files compiled by the South Australian Department of Community Welfare. During this period, 7,156 offense-related court appearances took place. Of these, 289, or 4 percent, involved Aborigines, although this group accounts for only .6 percent of the youth population. An examination of legal and extralegal variables in arrest decisions indicates that two sets of factors influence arrest rates, even with locational and cultural variables controlled. Aborigines showed substantially more unemployment than non-Aborigines, and unemployment was independently associated with the likelihood of arrest. The second set of factors was related to differences in the patterns of charging the two groups: Aboriginal groups were charged with more serious offenses and were more likely to have prior appearance records. While findings provided no evidence of overt racial discrimination, the extent to which discrimination may play a role in variations in charge patterns cannot be determined from official data. 9 notes and 6 references.