Queensland's former corrective services boss says "urgent " change is needed to deal with youth crime in the state, and expert voices are being ignored for political gain.
Representatives from 50 organisations gathered in Brisbane to ask the government to be "smarter, not tougher" on youth crime.
The meeting followed a letter, signed off by the 40 advocacy groups and 20 individuals, asking the government to "stop politicising youth crime".
"We are organisations and individuals concerned about preventing youth crime, reducing re-offending and achieving community safety," the letter said.
Former director-general of Queensland's Corrective Services Commission, Keith Hamburger, said he had seen the issue building over the past three decades, and there needed to be structural change from "the very top".
"It is just because of this stupid law-and-order debate that goes on, politicians arguing over how tough we can be instead of looking at all the evidence-based solutions," he said.
"At the moment, we have a range of departments that are operating in silos."
Youth Advocacy Centre's CEO Katherine Hayes said it was a "contained problem".
"We are talking about 600 or so young people across Queensland, and we are talking about people from very disadvantaged backgrounds," she said.
"We know who they are, and we know what works. We have just got to do it."
'Reports are being ignored'
Mr Hamburger is calling for the government to urgently implement a justice reform office, which he said was recommended by the Queensland Productivity Commission in 2019.
"The government has not implemented that, and we need that to be overseen by a multi-party justice reform committee," he said.
Mr Hamburger said from there, "inhumane" detention centres should be phased out.
"We have a model of where it would actually over the next few years phase out the current, not-fit-for-purpose, inappropriate youth detention centres," he said.
"Back in my time, about 90 per cent of those children went on to adult prison, so they need to be phased out."
Mr Hamburger said the model would "greatly reduce crime", but said the ministers would not even talk to him about it.
"We have given them submissions, detailed submissions and asked, 'Please can we have a chat and explain this?' No response," he said.
"There are so many reports just being ignored.
"And I think all of us in Queensland need to be very, very worried about when public administration gets to that state," Mr Hamburger said.
'No apologies'
At a press conference on the Sunshine Coast, Premier Steven Miles defended the government's handling of youth justice.
"Our youth crime measures are both smarter and tougher and we make no apologies for that," he said.
"We have taken the advice of the Queensland Police. They have told us what tools and resources they need to prevent and respond to crime.
He said the government had heard the community's concerns and was implementing measures.
"But as I say, they build on all of the previous programs and investments that will continue, so while some of these measures go to harsher sentencing and less bail, there are others, many others, that relate to programs, to rehabilitation, to reducing recidivism," he said.
Asked if he would meet with the groups, he replied "of course".
New police task force
Queensland police on Wednesday announced a new Youth Crime Task Force aimed at looking at how to steer youth away from offending.
The government says it is an expansion of the previous Youth Justice Task Force, which began operation in February 2021 and was aimed at case managing "every serious repeat youth offender in Queensland".
Acting Assistant Commissioner George Marchesini, Commander of the task force, said there was no simple solution to youth crime.
"We know that we can't arrest our way out of a situation," he said.
"And keeping children in detention is not the end solution.
"But we need to look at how we break that cycle of reoffending."
Acting Assistant Commissioner Marchesini said it was a case-by-case issue.
"Mental health exposure to domestic violence, a number of child protective factors, and in terms of neglect, physical abuse, sexual harm, those issues impact on many of these young children," he said.
