Statistics on the ethnicity of criminal justice populations show the overrepresentation of minority group
members, especially blacks. Official data indicate a more significant overrepresentation of blacks in
prison concerning Hispanics but a pattern of increasing commitments among Hispanic groups. Available
information also suggests that crime patterns of Native Americans and Asian Americans differ from those
of Hispanics or blacks. While minorities are overrepresented among arrestees and prison inmates,
evidence that they commit more crimes than the norm is not definitive. Research on minorities and
crime must examine the patterns of organized crime enterprises, irregular economic activities, drug and
alcohol use among minorities, and the interrelationships of these factors with conventionally defined
crime and legitimate employment. Personal victimization rates are higher for nonwhites than whites but
differ for various groups according to the type of offence. Hispanics appear to have higher victimization
rates than blacks but lower rates than whites. Future studies should focus on different victimization
experiences of the various minorities and trends in interethnic crime. Inadequate and unequal treatment
of minorities is evident in the operations of criminal justice agencies. Race appears to affect criminal case
disposition, the quality of relationships with middle-class representatives of the establishment, and the
use of deadly force by the police. A theoretical approach to crime among minorities would focus on the
separate and combined effects of structural and subcultural factors on the crime and victimization
experiences of minorities. The influence of legal and extralegal factors on the treatment of minorities by
the criminal justice system will also be considered. Research on minority crime and criminal justice
experiences is necessary for developing new policies to make the criminal justice system responsive to
the problems of minorities. Fifty-nine references are supplied.
