The state government's heavy-handed approach to youth justice is out of step with reality and mired by emotion a leading expert says.

The assessment, made by foundation criminology and criminal justice professor at Griffith University Ross Homel AO, comes as various figures show the number of actual youth offenders continues to decline - not rise.

Professor Homel said the state should stop tackling juvenile offender issues based on "hysteria and emotion" and instead "concentrate on the facts.”

“That perception [of a growing youth offender rate] is inaccurate,” he said.

“Youth offending in Queensland is going down not up, that has been happening for the last few years.”