THE QUEST FOR JUSTICE IS VERY MUCH INFLUENCED BY THE URBAN CHARACTER OF AMERICAN LIFE; CHARACTERISTICS OF AMERICAN CITIES AFFECT THE WAY LEGAL PROCESSES WORK. THE DIVERSITY OF THE POPULATION AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITY THROUGHOUT A METROPOLITAN AREA, AS WELL AS THE FRAGMENTATION OF AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY, AFFECT THE JUSTICE SYSTEM. CRIME CAUSES A FEAR THAT PERVADES MANY AMERICANS' PERCEPTION OF CITY LIFE. HOWEVER, CRIME DOES NOT THREATEN THE ECONOMIC OR SOCIAL ROUTINES OF MOST CITY RESIDENTS. DATA SHOW THAT, CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, THE LARGER CITIES ARE NOT THE MOST DANGEROUS. MIDDLE-SIZED CENTRAL CITIES WITH A HALF-MILLION TO MILLION POPULATION HAVE MORE CRIME VICTIMS THAN SMALLER OR LARGER CITIES. ALSO, THE YOUNG, RATHER THAN THE OLD, ARE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO ROBBERS IN MOST CITIES. BEING NONWHITE AND POOR MAKES A YOUNG PERSON EVEN MORE VULNERABLE. TWO URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS ARE THE COMMERCIAL (DOWNTOWN) AREA AND THE SLUM OR GHETTO AREA. MOST CRIMINALS LIVE AND WORK IN CITIES BECAUSE THEIR OPPORTUNITIES TO COMMIT CRIMES THERE ARE NUMEROUS. THE MOST VIGOROUS CRITICS OF CITY POLICE QUESTION WHETHER POLICE ARE PART OF THE CRIME PROBLEM RATHER THAN PART OF THE CRIME SOLUTION. HOWEVER, POLICE PROVIDE MANY SERVICES TO CITY RESIDENTS, INCLUDING PRESERVING PUBLIC ORDER AND CRIME CONTROL. THE ORGANIZATION OF POLICE SERVICES, THE POLITICS OF POLICING, THE STRUCTURE OF URBAN COURTS AND HOW THEY FUNCTION ALL INFLUENCE THE QUALITY OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL JUSTICE IN CITIES. CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN THE CITIES OF NEW YORK, CHICAGO, LOS ANGELES, AND PRAIRIE CITY (A PSEUDONYM) IS FOCUSED ON TO ILLUSTRATE THIS CONCEPT. CIVIL DISPUTES, DISPUTE PROCESSING, AND CONCLUDING CIVIL CONFLICTS IN FOUR WISCONSIN CITIES ARE REVIEWED TO ILLUSTRATE THE NATURE OF CIVIL JUSTICE. FOOTNOTES, TABULAR DATA, AND AN INDEX ARE INCLUDED. (PRG)