Blacks in the United States are arrested, prosecuted, convicted and incarcerated in numbers disproportionate to their percentage of the population. One explanation is that racial discrimination against blacks pervades the American criminal justice system. This study evaluated five propositions, using data from the literature: (1) Police discretion is racially biased, resulting in higher black arrest rates; (2) The arrest setting is an example of the practice of racial bias; (3) Incarceration rate differentials indicate racial bias; (4) If racial bias does occur, racial victimization rates should not be commensurate with racial arrest rates; and (5) The "war on drugs" is biased against blacks. It found little evidence to support the allegation that the criminal justice system routinely and deliberately discriminates against blacks. Notes, references