A FLAGSTONE pastor who runs camps for at-risk youth says prevention will be the key to Queensland's youth justice reforms.
Daniel Cinzio has helped more than 50 troubled young people from near and far with his boot-camp style program, now in its third year.
While tough reforms to juvenile justice legislation were passed in Parliament last month, Queensland Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie said the government's full plan for youth justice was yet to be revealed.
"We will soon unveil the next phase in our youth justice overhaul, which will focus on prevention and addressing the cause of repeat offending," Mr Bleijie said.
"The government's Blueprint for the Future of Youth Justice in Queensland will be a key component of the government's youth justice reforms."
Mr Cinzio said while the legislative changes may have some impact, he was more interested in government's next step.
"The most important thing is what comes next in addressing prevention," he said.
Mr Cinzio supported the government's expansion of their youth boot camp trial but said the program would be more effective if it was more widely available.
"The access to the boot camp program needs to be available to the local police, to local community centres, to schools and to the public," he said.
"These are the people who come into contact with the kids every day."
He said the government should not wait until young people were before the court to intervene.
"Why not do that early, as soon as there's an issue, intervene," he said.
"Don't let them get to be repeat offenders."
Mr Cinzio was unsure whether naming and shaming repeat juvenile offenders would act as a deterrent.
"For some kids who don't give a hoot its just going to give them status with their mates," he said.
However he supported making juvenile criminal records available in adult courts.
"You have to take in a full picture of somebody's life, not just the present," he said.
Mr Cinzio said, in general, he does not support a hard-line approach to juvenile justice.
"I believe that for every young person there is hope and the possibility for growth," he said.
Mr Cinzio said he has witnessed countless transformations as young people at his camps overcame physical and emotional challenges in a supportive environment.
