In 1978, in Paterson, New Jersey, John Artis was 19 with a college scholarship, an athlete, a boy scout, and an altar boy.  He was a black man driving a white car with Rubin "Hurricane" Carter.  That same night 3 people were killed by 2 black men.  The only evidence against Artis was presented by a criminal whose testimony earned him $10,000.00 in rewards and a light sentence.  Artis was sentenced to three concurrent life terms a Raway Prison with a chance of parole after 15 years.  While in prison John Artis started teaching Adult Education classes helping hundreds of men get their GED's and more to become literate.  He became Vice President of the Lifers program, and it was his division that originated the program Scared Straight.  He was President of the jail's branch of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, believing it his responsibility to actively participate in government.  A prisoner representative, he aired the grievances of prisoners to the guards: attaining small reforms, Then, in 1971, there was a hostage situation in the jail, and he peaceably convinced the men to release their hostages.  For that accomplishment, he was transferred from a maximum security prison to a minimum security facility.

Two weeks before Christmas in 1975, Artis was granted permission to visit his Father's home.  There, police told him that they knew he was innocent and all he had to do was testify that Carter committed the murders and he would be set free.  Artis would not lie.  He was sent back to prison. There, he was granted permission attend Glassborough State College where he earned a degree in Business administration.  On December 22, 1981 he was released on parole an honest man.

After his release, Artis knew his passion lay with helping young people find direction.  For two years he worked at Pines Residential Centre with molested kids who started molesting others.  He built their trusts, treated them like they were normal kids, and saw results, From there, he went to a group home in the city of Norfolk, where he taught the kids to appreciate life and not to just look ahead, but to plan for the future.  Presently, he works in a Detention Centre as a counsellor in Norfolk.  He counsels kids on the downfalls of drug use, gang membership, and the importance of education.