“…The question of whether minorities are the recipients of systematic differential treatment by decision-makers has been controversial (e.g., compare Wilbanks, 1987compare Wilbanks, , 1989compare Wilbanks, with M m , 1989and Georges-Abeiye, 1989) and subject to extensive research (Frazier et al, 1992;Farnworth and Horan, 1980;Hagan, 1974;Kleck, 1981;Klepper et al, 1983;Spohn et al, 1981-82;Fagan et al;Zatz, 1984; Bishop and Frazier, 1988;Crew, 1992;Umever and Hembroff, 1988; Pope and Feyerherm,199oa; Petersilia, 1985;Leiber, 1994). Much of the interest in this topic stems from statistics which indicate that African Americans are disproportionately overrepresented in receiving a sentence of death (e.g., Baldus et al, 1983), in imprisonment (Bridges and Crutchfield, 1988) and for juveniles, secure detention in public facilities (e.g., McGarrell, 1993;Sweet, 1991).…”