A prominent criminologist has accused both sides of politics of mishandling Queensland's youth crime issue.
Tough new laws targeting young offenders are expected to be introduced in parliament next month.
The state government's new laws would include increasing the maximum prison sentence for car thieves to 10 years' jail, tougher penalties for criminals who boast about crimes on social media, and the construction of two new youth detention centres.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the measures, which came in the wake of the stabbing death of Queensland mother Emma Lovell in a Boxing Day home invasion, were the "most comprehensive response to youth crime in this state".
Under the changes, the Youth Justice Act would also be amended to require courts to take into account an accused's previous criminal activity and bail history.
After Ms Lovell's death, Opposition Leader David Crisafulli called for breaches of bail to be made an offence for young offenders.
'Political death spiral'
Griffith University Emeritus Professor Ross Homel said the state was experiencing a crime surge that had to be addressed.
But he said the government and opposition were trying to one-up each other as they called for tougher laws.
"We are currently engaged, in Queensland, in a political death spiral in terms of youth justice policy," Dr Homel said.
"By that I mean each side is trying to outdo each other in terms of huffing and puffing and getting tough and tightening up the laws, the net effect of which will be to keep more kids in detention."
Queensland has more children locked up than any other state in the country and Dr Homel said the new laws would result in more incarceration.
"There are a hundred ways young people under these laws trip and end up back in the system just for violating conditions of probation," he said.
"If you look at the sorts of kids who are getting locked up, they are very damaged young people, typically.
"Queensland does not invest sufficiently in policies that address the real causes of youth offending."
Focused deterrence?
In 2020 the Queensland Productivity Commission recommended an overhaul of the criminal justice system.
It said that included "establishing an independent Justice Reform Office to provide a focus on longer-term outcomes and [driving] evidence-based policy-making".
Dr Homel said that was needed to break the "political death spiral", and that the office could introduce strategies such as focused deterrence where repeat offenders would face strict enforcement and improved support.
"Focused deterrence involves respected authority figures that can sit down and talk turkey with these young offenders," he said.
"Basically it's a carrot and stick approach."
Dr Homel said the approach was developed to effectively combat gang violence in the United States city of Boston about 25 years ago.
"They convinced these young people, through respectful discussion with them, that if they continue on the pathway they're on now they'll end up dead or with a life in jail and they're going to do a huge amount of damage," he said.
