Storm works with criminals reintegrating into the community. Here's what it's really like.

30-year-old Storm Masters interacts with high-risk offenders and criminals daily.

Working in the world of corrective services, Storm says it's a job that can be emotionally taxing at times - but one that makes a tangible, positive difference in the community.

Originally a military police worker in the Australian Regular Army, Storm made the transition to corrective services in 2017, keen to find a smooth transitional career that would fulfill her passions. Fortunately, she found it working at the helm of Mt Druitt Community Corrections, working with people who have been through the criminal justice system and are on a supervised order.

Mt Druitt, located in Western Sydney, is a suburb that has a high level of disadvantage compared to other Sydney suburbs. 

Despite Mt Druitt Community Corrections covering the smallest geographical area in NSW, it has the highest density of offenders under supervision.

Watch: Mt Druitt depicted on SBS's Logie-nominated show, Struggle Street. Post continues below.

"It's challenging. I come from a country background, and it's been very eye-opening," Storm told Mamamia. 

"You get people from all different walks of life with different needs and different situations. There's a lot of people struggling financially as well, so it means our work is even more crucial."

As Mt Druitt's Local Coordinated Multiagency Coordinator, Storm has seen it all.

On a daily basis, she is identifying high-risk offender needs such as housing, mental health, employment, drug and alcohol addiction support and more. She and her team then provide holistic support to help decrease the chance of the offender re-offending, encouraging them to gain stability and live law-abiding lives. 

A big part of that is making communities and families feel safe.

"Sometimes we work with female clients [offenders] who are needing domestic violence support or child protection needs. It's about setting up those structures and support groups and cutting them off from the negative associates they once had and replacing [them] with positive role models," she explained.

For Mt Druitt Community Corrections, the majority of their client base is male. Many of which are considered 'high risk'.

"High risk speaks to the likelihood of them re-offending, and if they were to re-offend, the impact it would have on the community. It's often based on their history, situation and previous conviction. Some clients I work with in person, others are over the phone, and some we even go to their house, sit down together and fill out an application or paperwork, obviously bearing in mind safety so we do checks beforehand."

Although Storm says it does sometimes mean putting herself in potentially vulnerable situations, it's the success stories that keep her coming back. 

One of Storm's recent clients spent most of his teen and adult life on an order. In NSW, a community correction order is often thought of as a type of good behaviour bond with conditions - a sentence that requires you to not commit any further offences for a period of time.

Being able to get him the support he needed - stable housing, employment, addressing his offending behaviour and drug and alcohol issues - completely changed his life. 

"He went from someone who really didn't want to be here to a changed man. It was so good to watch him grow and [see] how proud of himself he was to actually be off an order for the first time in his life."

Storm isn't single-handedly helping former inmates change their lives. She's among 10,500 Corrective Services NSW staff being celebrated on National Corrections Day this Friday January 20th, for their commitment to community safety. 

"In this job, you're often helping people at their worst. So to see the positive impact we have and how grateful offenders are to be given access to support regardless of their age, offending history, cultural background or status, is great," Storm said. 

After more than five years in the field, Storm says the best lesson she's learned on the job and working with offenders is to 'only think forward'.

"If you see the barrier, it's so important to just keep moving forward - ask for the solutions, look for them. I've learned there's always a solution, so not to get too bogged down when things feel bad. It teaches you to keep an open mind for sure," she said.

"Sure it can be quite challenging and dangerous at times, but our whole job is to keep the community safe. And that's why I love it."

Feature Image: Supplied.