SEPTEMBER 14, 2024
Strategy 20:
Be Brutally Honest
In the parole process, honesty isn’t just a virtue—it’s a survival skill. Strategy 20 – Be Brutally Honest pushes past surface-level admissions and invites deep, unfiltered truth-telling about past choices, personal flaws, and the impact of one’s actions. It’s this level of raw accountability that signals true change to the Board.
Strategy 20 – Be Brutally Honest centers on the necessity of full, unguarded honesty when speaking about your commitment offense, your past thinking, and your rehabilitation journey. This strategy warns against minimizing, deflecting, or sugarcoating one’s role, instead emphasizing transparency as a core marker of insight. Brutal honesty can be uncomfortable—but it also builds trust. It shows the panel you’ve done the work and are not hiding behind excuses or image management.
Notes
True insight doesn’t come from rehearsed answers—it comes from confronting the hardest truths about who you were and how others were affected. This strategy encourages applicants to take full ownership without defensiveness or blame-shifting. Brutal honesty builds credibility and separates superficial participation from deep transformation. The Board can often sense when someone is holding back. Integrity begins with telling the truth, even when it’s difficult.
Recap & Takeaways
Strategy 20 reminds us that transformation begins where self-deception ends. Being brutally honest about your past is not about shame—it’s about growth. The Board is listening for accountability, not perfection. Your willingness to name your own failings without justification shows maturity and readiness. Don’t protect your image—protect your integrity.
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Each week, we break down a chapter from 36 Strategies of Suitability and explain why it matters.
