This study analyzed data from appropriate county and State agencies for juvenile arrestees in 1996-98 and the sentencing of juveniles in 1997-99. Both sets of 3-year periods were the most recent for juvenile arrests and juveniles transferred to adult court. Due to the absence of uniform county reporting standards, adult court transfer statistics from Los Angeles County were used for 1996. The analysis compared the proportions of white, African-American, Hispanic, and Asian/Others in the total juvenile (ages 10-17) population and in the total number of juvenile arrestees by offense category with the respective proportions of their transfers to adult court and sentencing to a facility. The purpose of this analysis was to test the hypothesis that minority youth were disproportionately transferred to adult court and sentenced to incarceration compared to white youths in similar circumstances. The study found that minority youths were 2.7 times more likely than white youths to be arrested for a violent felony (the crimes most likely to result in transfer to adult court). Once in the system, minority juvenile violent-crime arrestees were 3.1 times more likely than white juvenile violent-crime arrestees to be transferred to adult court and sentenced to confinement in a California Youth Authority prison. The limited analysis of Los Angeles County data found that the major factor in the large racial disparities in sentencing was the more frequent transfer of minority juveniles to adult court. Given the current analysis and previous studies that have shown similar racial discrepancies in other areas of the juvenile justice and criminal justice systems, future research should examine the basis for the large adult court disparities in sentencing found in the current study. 6 figures, 2 tables, and 8 notes