JUNE 17, 2024
Strategy 6:
Know Your Character Defects
In this strategy, we move into one of the most uncomfortable but most powerful areas of parole preparation: Knowing Your Character Defects. Facing the parts of ourselves that caused harm isn’t easy, but it’s the only path to real transformation. This strategy is about owning the underlying traits, not just the behaviors that contributed to your criminal thinking and past decisions.
Strategy 7 – Know Your Character Defects teaches that insight isn’t just about actions, it’s about patterns. The Board wants to see that you’ve done the work to name your flaws: pride, manipulation, selfishness, dishonesty, avoidance, or impulsivity. These character defects are the internal roots of external behavior, and without addressing them, change remains superficial. This strategy urges you to identify them, understand where they show up in your life, and develop a plan to manage or transform them.
Notes
Understanding your character defects is central to demonstrating insight and rehabilitation. This strategy encourages applicants to move past vague self-blame and clearly articulate specific traits that fueled past choices. It pushes for accountability without shame—because naming defects allows for growth. The work here includes both recognition and response: how do you spot these traits now, and what do you do differently?
Recap & Takeaways
Strategy 7 reminds us that change begins with truth-telling. The Board looks for a clear link between your character defects and the life crime, along with evidence that you’ve done the hard work to change those patterns. Knowing your flaws is not a weakness, it’s the foundation of maturity and emotional responsibility. This kind of self-awareness makes your testimony more credible, and your parole plan more realistic.
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Each week, we break down a chapter from 36 Strategies of Suitability and explain why it matters.
