Brent was chosen because it had the largest numbers of ethnic minorities in the United Kingdom who were arrested by the police between 1982 and 1986. The cutoff points for the data collection were the dates when the Criminal Justice Act 1982 and the independent prosecution service came into being. The research tested the hypothesis that black people received harsher treatment than did their white and Asian counterparts. Results revealed that 4.3 percent of the cases involved Asian youth, 42.7 percent involved black youth, and 50.1 percent involved white youth. Multivariate analysis confirmed race-specific outcomes, notwithstanding the influence of significant explanatory factors such as the alleged offense and other factors. However, findings demonstrated significant differences in favor of black persons in the propensity to be acquitted in the courts because of insufficient evidence from the police, whereas white youths were significantly more likely to receive police diversion. Findings suggested the need for further research and for a continuation of the current levels of official concern about the handling of black people in the criminal justice system. Tables, appended tables, and approximately 250 references