a balanced assessment of the research evidence on whether the American criminal justice system dispenses unfair treatment to members of racial and ethnic minorities. The editors introduction views criminal justice system practices within the context of racial and ethnic disparities in American society as a whole. Michael J. Leiber surveys the wide array of theories used in researching biases in the criminal justice process. Lorie A. Fridell evaluates evidence of racial prejudice in policing, with particular emphasis on unconscious patterns of bias. Perceptions of bias-based policing held by African-American citizens and police officers are described by Brian N. Williams and Billy R. Close. The vast scholarly literature on racial and ethnic bias in sentencing is analyzed by Amy Farrell and Donna M. Bishop. E. Britt Patterson presents original research findings on racial and ethnic differences in the sentencing of juveniles for drug offenses. Michael J. Lynch explores whether minority overrepresentation in the prison population can be attributed to justice system processing biases. Judith Kavanaugh-Earl and colleagues provide a wide-ranging overview of the effects of offender and victim race in application of the death penalty. Findings from a study of the racial profiling of white customers in retail stores are reported by Shaun L. Gabbidon and George E. Higgins. Tom Mieczkowski reviews how race and racial identification have been misused in the forensic sciences. Paul Stretesky explores racial disparity in residents proximity to environmental hazards and in the enforcement of environmental regulations.

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