THE RESEARCH FOCUSES ON FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PROCESSING IN THE POLICE, JUVENILE PROBATION, AND JUVENILE COURT AGENCIES. CRITERIA USED IN DECISIONMAKING ARE EXAMINED, SINCE THESE AGENCIES DETERMINE WHICH YOUTHS ARE TO BE LABELED AS DELINQUENT AND SINGLED OUT FOR PUNITIVE ACTION OR TREATMENT. THE RESEARCH DESIGN CONSISTS OF A SECONDARY COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE FACTORS WHICH OPERATE IN THE 'SELECTIVE PROCESS.' BIVARIATE AND MULTIVARIATE DISCRIMINATE FUNCTION ANALYSIS INDICATES HOW WELL THE PREDICTORS CAN DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE COHORT OF YOUTHS WHO PENETRATE THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM AND THOSE WHO DO NOT. THE BASIC PREMISE OF THIS STUDY, THAT THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM OPERATES ARBITRARILY IN ITS ORGANIZATIONAL PROCESSING, IS VERIFIED. THE ATTRIBUTES, ATTITUDES, AND PRIOR BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INDIVIDUAL JUVENILES WERE ANALYZED, AS WELL AS ATTRIBUTES OF THE ACT AND SITUATIONAL COMPONENTS OF OFFICIAL PROCESSING. THE CONCLUSION WAS THAT THERE WERE SOME VARIABLES WHICH DID DEMONSTRATE RELATIONSHIPS. AT THE POLICE LEVEL, DECISIONS WERE RELATED TO GROUP DELINQUENCY; AT THE PROBATION LEVEL, DECISIONS WERE CORRELATED TO SEX, CLASS, LOW-DELINQUENCY PRONENESS, TOTAL SELF-REPORT, SERIOUS SELF-REPORT, AND SERIOUSNESS OF THE OFFENSE, AND THE COURTS' DECISIONS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH DELINQUENCY PRONENESS, OCCUPATIONAL ASPIRATIONS, AND ATTITUDE TOWARD SCHOOL. THERE WAS A GENERAL LACK OF CONSISTENCY WITH RESPECT TO POTENTIAL DETERMINANTS OF DECISIONMAKING. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT THE VARIABLES DID NOT SYSTEMATICALLY ACT AS PREDICTORS, AND THAT DISCRIMINATING PREDICTORS DID VARY BY AGENCY CAUSING DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS OF DECISIONS. ATTRIBUTES OF THE ACT ARE NOT PREDICTORS IN THE OFFICIAL PROCESSING AT THE POLICE AND COURT LEVEL, BUT ARE A DETERMINANT AT THE PROBATION LEVEL. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS PROVIDED, AND THE APPENDIX CONTAINS STATISTICAL DATA IN RELATION TO THE VARIABLES TESTED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED). (DAG)