Children should never be held in adult watch houses according to a leading abolitionist group, as the Queensland Police Commissioner undertakes a broad-ranging review into the facilities.

Announced on Tuesday and to be undertaken by deputy commissioner Cameron Harsley, the review won't investigate whether watch houses were appropriate to hold children for long periods, but rather the ability of the Queensland Police Service "to deliver a system under current arrangements" and whether the facilities are fit for purpose.

The system of housing children in the facilities - some as young as 11 - came after the state suspended the Human Rights Act last year, and has faced a barrage of criticism, which has been largely ignored by the Labor government who argue they are doing it to keep the community safe.

Debbie Kilroy from the National Network of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls (National Network) said housing children in the facilities is a "gross violation of the human rights of children and a severe breach of the state's duty to care for its youngest citizens".

She said the government must immediately cease housing children in the watch houses, arguing it amounted to "state-based torture".

Revelations about watch houses in Queensland include a 13-year old Indigenous girl - assessed as having the mental capacity of a kindergarten child - being handcuffed, naked, and covered in her own urine, and a 17-year-old First Nations boy being struck with a baton by police.

Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said there had been 42 complaints at watch houses in Queensland this year with 101 allegations raised.

"I acknowledge there are end-to-end systemic issues in our watch houses, and the whole system is under significant pressure," Mr Gollschewski said.

"Once an offender comes into a watch house, it is our responsibility to treat them with dignity, respect and effectively manage them while they are in our care."

National Network's Tabitha Lean said Queensland has a "love affair with the imprisonment of children".

"How anyone can watch the shocking footage of children, including a 13-year-old girl with a severe intellectual disability, placed in an isolation cell, and not accept that the treatment is inhumane and unacceptable and must be ceased immediately, is beyond me," she said.

Queensland's Human Rights Commissioner Scott McDougall said the QRHC had long opposed the use of watch houses for the detention of children.

He argued the priority of the review should be about preventing children being detained in watch houses in the first place, as well as establishing ways of working that will "respect the rights of children, particularly those with complex needs, who interact with QPS".

"The review should also include an assessment of proactive policing and the use of discretion by police officers over whether to arrest and detain children where not strictly necessary," Mr McDougall said.

"This is critically important given detention centres are full and there is a high likelihood that children will be sent to watch houses for prolonged periods, exacerbating any problems in what is an already risky environment."

Last year, National Indigenous Times reported children were pleading guilty to crimes they didn't commit to avoid spending time in watch houses.

Katherine Hayes from the Youth Advocacy Centre previously said police guidelines specified children shouldn't spend more than 72 hours in watch houses, but some were spending upwards of 30 days in the facilities.

"A psychiatrist who works in the watch houses has said that he sees decline in mental health after 24 hours in children and they come out angrier and more damaged," Ms Hayes said last month.

Mr McDougall said whilst there should "absolutely be minimum standards for safety, accessibility, and access to services for watch houses," he cautioned against a review that leant too heavily into analysing new facilities.

"The appropriate upgrade and design of watch houses should be balanced with an investment in police training, processes and diversionary facilities," he said.