Rubin Carter, once a noteworthy prizefighter, was wrongfully imprisoned for nearly two decades for murders he did not commit. The son of a Baptist minister, Rubin Carter was born on May 6, 1937, in Clifton, New Jersey. He grew up in Paterson, New Jersey, where he had several encounters with the law at an early age. In his 1974 autobiography, Carter stated, "The kindest thing that I can say about my childhood is that I survived it.".

When he was twelve years old, Carter was arrested for stabbing a man with his Boy Scout knife. Carter claimed that he acted in self-defense, asserting that the man tried to sexually assault him. As a result of this incident, a judge sentenced Carter to a six-year term in the Jamesburg State Home for Boys. Before he completed his sentence, however, Carter escaped and joined the U.S. Army.

While in the Army, Carter...