The information used in this analysis came from reports on delinquency cases published by the National Center for Juvenile Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reports. Since 1957, the rates of young people being processed by the courts has gradually increased, although between 1975 and 1977 this increase was only 0.2 percent compared with 15 percent for the previous 5 years. Detention decreased 14 percent from 1975 to 1977, principally because of reductions in status offender detention. Referrals from law enforcement agencies represented 82 percent of total referrals to the juvenile court. Court statistics show that as young people become older, the likelihood of their involvement in the court increases markedly. The number of status offense cases dropped each year since 1975, but females were more likely than males to be referred to court as status offenders. Over half of all cases processed in 1977 involved juveniles with no record of prior referrals. Analysis of court statistics revealed that minorities were more likely than whites to have prior involvement with the courts, be detained, and charged with crimes against people. Minorities were more likely than whites to receive a disposition of case dismissed. Also, more minority cases resulted in institutionalization. The use of jails and police stations as detention facilities decreased significantly from 1975 to 1977 while the use of detention homes rose. A diagram illustrates the flow of cases from police arrest to final disposition. Tables and footnotes are included. (Author abstract modified)