The study reported here combined quantitative and qualitative methodologies to examine factors contributing to racial and ethnic disproportionality. The data showed that black youth were severely overrepresented at every stage of the criminal justice process. The article describes qualitative data concerning police-juvenile encounters and suggests ways in which the data can be used to understand the social processes that contribute to disproportionality. The authors note that the arrest stage is the level at which the selection bias that shapes statistical outcomes occurs. Qualitative data should be used to examine issues that cannot be answered statistically, such as the influence of the media on racial disproportionality. 6 notes and 42 references