“Anita Szigeti, a Toronto lawyer and president of the Law and Mental Disorder Association, says based on her extensive experience and research, she believes people of colour are overrepresented in the forensic mental health system.

“There’s definitely racial bias in how people with serious mental health issues end up in hospital,” she said.

“And I can say in my 28 years at the bar, based on that experience, I certainly have a lot more Black, male, young clients in the forensic system. They tend to come from the criminal justice [system], and where does it start? With the over-policing of Black communities,” she said.

“I see security called … and restraints and seclusion employed vis-à-vis Black accused under the forensic system more often than I observe it in relation to white accused persons in the system,” said Szigeti, who said she believes the board should be collecting race-based data.

“Does that mean that it takes you longer to get out of the system? I would say probably.”

[…]

“……Szigeti, who is co-author of the forthcoming book A Guide to Mental Disorder Law in Canadian Criminal Justice [said] Race-based statistics currently aren’t available, but Szigeti said she came to that conclusion from her extensive experience and research.”

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/forensic-mental-health-criminal-system-1.5661554