Moral Inventory

The next step in our preparation to change should be to take an inventory of our lives. In order to take a proper inventory we need to:

• Write down all the things we have done wrong in our lives and list the consequences – for ourselves and others. This step will take some time. It is not good enough to quickly scan our lives and say, “I’ve made a lot of mistakes and being in jail has been miserable for me,” and then be finished.

• Be thorough. For our list to be effective, we must drop all our defenses and write down every crime, irresponsible behavior and lie that we can remember.

• Search out all the flaws and faults in ourselves which may have contributed to this criminal lifestyle. It is important to figure out why we have made the choices that we did.

• List our fears and resentments.

• Make amends and restitution whenever possible. There will be some wrongs which we can never right, but we must make an honest attempt to make things right.