By Michael Kersnovske.
Edited for online by Thomas Brakstad.

The boot camps set up by the state government are half-way through a three-month trial and so far its showing positive results.

They are designed to put wayward teens back on track, and they are held in several areas around Queensland.

Youth advocates say it is going to be a long process but there are signs the new system is working.

Youth Advocacy Centre Director, Jeannette White says it is part of a long process toward rehabilitation.

“These things are not fixed overnight, she says.

“The young people involved in these camps and their families will have issues and concerns which needs to be addressed and that’s not going to happen in a couple of weeks”

“It will be an ongoing process for some time.”

Ms White says there are a number of reasons why children are repeat offenders.

“What we have is a very small group of offenders who are getting entrenched into offending behaviour and those young people are generally characterised by coming from low socio-economic background, having mental health issues, having drug and alcohol issues or their parents having those kinds of issues,” she says.

She says while the camps are a step in the right direction, more programs are necessary.

“If we really wants to address offending behaviour we need to look at why does it happen, what are the best things to stop it, how will we address it and there’s lots of evidence from research out there to tell us what to do,” she says.

“Getting tougher and more punitive, locking more people up is not the answer and doesn’t work, we know that, and the evidence shows that.”

Three more camps are expected to be established before the end of the trial in June.