Study data were obtained from juvenile court case records submitted to the National Juvenile Court Data Archive by juvenile courts in 17 States for cases processed in 1985 and 1989. Data analysis indicated that referrals of nonwhites to juvenile courts increased dramatically over the 4 years, causing an increased number of nonwhite cases to be detained, petitioned, and placed outside the home. The increase in nonwhite detentions, petitions, and placements exceeded that expected by the increase in referrals. At the same time, white cases remained relatively stable. The observed trends varied significantly among the counties studied, suggesting the need for further comparative analysis. 7 references, 4 notes, and 7 tables