As seen almost daily on local and national news, race has historically and continues to feature prominently in reporting on crime and justice within the United States, whether the issue be hate crimes, racial profiling, sentencing disparities, wrongful convictions, felon disenfranchisement, political prisoners, juveniles and the death penalty, or culturally specific delinquency prevention programs. This encyclopedia covers issues in both historical and contemporary context, with information on race and ethnicity and their impact on crime and the administration of justice. Through entries in this encyclopedia, readers will gain a greater appreciation for the similar historical experiences of varied racial and ethnic groups and will see how race and ethnicity has mattered and continues to matter in the administration of American criminal justice.