Uniform Crime Report data indicate a substantial increase in juvenile delinquency between 1969 and 1978, with a disproportionately high involvement by black juveniles, particularly in serious offenses. In contrast to these data, self-report findings reveal few differences in delinquent involvement between social classes and races. However, like official statistics, these data suffer from various biases and methodological shortcomings. Victimization surveys reveal findings consistent with official statistics indicating an overrepresentation of blacks in crimes against persons. These results, too, may suffer from methodological problems and perceptual distortions. Examinations of the decisionmaking process in juvenile justice provide evidence that discretionary decisions occurring during the juvenile-police encounter, after referral and at the detention hearing, during screening, and at disposition contribute to the amplification of initial racial disparities. Thus, a relatively heterogenous prearrest population becomes transformed into an homogeneous non-white institutional population. While some studies have shown no evidence of racial bias, those studies that demonstrate that race affects juvenile justice outcomes cannot be ignored or dismissed. Included are 83 references.