A chapter discusses the unreliability of "official" statistics and other crime data-collection methods, with attention to the special problems associated with official statistics and unofficial data that purportedly describe the incidence of crime among racial minorities. Theoretical and conceptual perspectives of race and violent crime are examined in another chapter. A chapter demonstrates the parallels and connections between racial minorities, public policies, laws, and oppression that have historically been an integral part of the American social and legal fabric, particularly with regard to criminal laws. It notes how U.S. laws have been tailored to oppress peoples of color, beginning in colonial times and continuing throughout the Nation's history to the omnibus, net-widening criminal laws of today. The author concludes that African, Asian, Hispanic, and Native Americans have been singled out by the police, prosecutors, judges, and corrections officials for separate, unequal, and harsher treatment by the U.S. criminal justice system. The author recommends reforms that can reduce minority participation in crime, notably in the areas of welfare, public housing, law enforcement, and the court system. A 725-item bibliography