Delinquency cases involving black juveniles were more likely to be handled formally than were cases involving white youth or youth of other races. In 1997, formal handling was used in 62% of cases involving black juveniles, 54% of cases involving white juveniles, and 55% of cases involving juveniles of other races (figure 14). Racial differences in the likelihood of formal handling were greatest for drug law violation cases: 78% of drug cases involving black juveniles were handled by formal petition, compared with 56% for white juveniles and 55% for juveniles of other races (table 44). Between 1988 and 1997, the likelihood of formal petitioning increased across all four offense categories for all racial groups.

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