One question often asked in the youth crime debate frustrates Gary: 'Where are the parents?'
"They don't actually know what's happening behind the scene, what parents are going through," he said.
For three years, Gary would spend many of his nights driving around the Gold Coast, searching for his wayward teenage son.
"I used to cry a lot in the car. I used to say to myself, 'Why is this happening to me? 'Why is God punishing me?'" he said.
"My kids were always loved. There was never any drugs or alcohol in my life."
Gary, who asked to remain anonymous, said his son was "going in and out of court" from age 12 and would "stay out for days on end on drugs".
"He stole one car and got excited from that, putting things on social media," Gary said.
"He would get really agitated and violent [but] when he goes into those rages, you can't do much, you just ring the police, and they settle him down, take him to the hospital, and we're in the same process again."
Gary said, "Unfortunately, that one day I gave him a kick up the arse, it all went pear-shaped".
"I don't regret it because it was discipline, but I feel shit. I shouldn't have done that."
He said youth services became involved but that his son would ignore corrective measures like police curfews.
With no residential detox or withdrawal services for adolescents on the Gold Coast, Gary said he felt like his hands were tied.
"I said to myself, 'I'm in for a long bad ride here with this whole system. This is going to be a nightmare," he said.
A Queensland Health spokesperson said it works with private providers to deliver rehabilitation support on the Gold Coast, along with travel subsidies.
"We are investing more than $1.9 billion to improve mental health, alcohol and other drug services, and for a range of initiatives to support children and young people and their families," the spokesperson said.
"Our record investment includes delivering a new purpose-built 10-bed youth residential rehabilitation centre in Cairns and boosting the capacity of existing statewide services such as Adis 24/7 Alcohol and Drug Support for people of all ages."
'Set up for failure'
John, not his real name, can understand what Gary's son went through.
Before he even turned 18, John was charged with 200 offences.
"Started off stealing petty stuff, just for the thrill of it, have a laugh, anything to make a dollar," he said.
"Then drugs come in — started with marijuana, then started some Xanax, sometimes ice.
"You don't care. Your minds not there. You just leave reality and gone into a different world."
Growing up on the Gold Coast and Melbourne, John's offending began at age 13, ranging from shoplifting to armed robbery and stealing cars.
"Sometimes it's not even about the money. It's the thrill," he said.
"I shared something that got used with the armed robbery [that] I put up on Facebook.
"Who gets the most likes, who gets the most comments? You reckon this girl likes the bad boy? It's a competition."
After "five years worth of chances, getting bail on–off", John said he was incarcerated at a youth detention centre when he was 17.
"It's like a reunion. It's like a school camp, like a crime get-together," he said.
"You learn more off each other, 'Oh, how'd you make money? I want to learn this. I want to learn that.'"
John said he'd been medicated for depression and anxiety — a diagnosis he links to his mother's death from cancer when he was six.
"It affected my life heaps. I think about it every day," he said.
Now 23, John has been recently released from jail and said the youth justice system had been "set up for failure".
"I still see mates from juvenile detention. I still see them now in adult jail."
While he completed substance abuse programs, John said, "It was just court-ordered. I didn't want it".
"I'd get a certificate. I'm done. I succeeded. Show that to the court," he said.
Youth crime 'complex'
A Productivity Commission report earlier this year shows that more than half of Queensland's juvenile offenders have been re-sentenced for new offences within 12 months of leaving detention.
That's the highest recidivism rate in any Australian state or territory.
A James Cook University analysis of 31 studies into 420,000 youth offenders found trauma, household dysfunction, domestic and family violence, and exposure to drugs and alcohol increased the likelihood of a juvenile committing a crime by about 50 per cent.
But according to the youth advocacy body Peak Care Queensland chief executive Tom Allsop, "Every young person's story is unique.'"
"The causes of youth crime are complex," Mr Allsop said.
"It's the manifestation of year upon year of fractured social policy."
But Mr Allsop said other factors included being a victim of crime, mental health issues and disabilities, especially the "really under-reported" fetal alcohol spectrum syndrome disorder.
Mr Allsop said schools could play a role by providing "alternative models that were inclusive and didn't mean young people were being constantly being suspended and excluded".
"These young people do not start their life seeking a life of youth offending," he said.
"But it's the culmination of all of these risk factors and challenges they experience."
Mr Allsop called for detention centres to be re-designed as "assessment centres".
"Then put them into therapeutic centres that treat the offending behaviour and that manage the risk," he said.
"You can't just punish your way out of youth crime.
"We need time for early intervention to take effect. We also need that committed bipartisan political approach to stand firm so that solutions are evidence-based."
In a statement, Minister for Youth Justice Di Farmer said the state government had instituted a range of youth justice interventions, including bail programs for repeat offenders with complex needs.
"We know the best way to turn lives around for young people in the youth justice system is to involve parents, guardians and families wherever possible," she said.
"Parents and guardians are invited to take part every step of the way – from a case manager's first meeting with a young person prior to court proceedings, through to attending court and participating in stakeholder meetings to determine which support services are needed."
Gary said after about three years and three stints in detention, his son began engaging with youth justice programs and moved away from drug use.
"You're not going to get rid of youth crime, but you can slow it down if you have the right programs," he said.
