As kids many of us dreamt of building and playing in a tree house. For Donald Vaughn, also known as “fish”, that became his everyday reality… but it was far from a dream. Cold, hungry and all alone, Vaughn was kicked out of his house at 11 years old, and built a makeshift treehouse in order to survive. Anthony Ivy, an Uncuffed producer at Solano State prison, asked Vaughn to share his nightmare of being unloved, unkept and isolated.

Thank you, Donald Vaughn, for sharing your story! This piece comes from our friends at Uncuffed.

You can listen to KALW’s Uncuffed, for more stories produced inside California state prisons, wherever you get your podcasts.

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Produced by Anthony Ivy

Sound design by Eric "Maserati-E" Abercrombie

Edited by Andrew Stelzer and Sonia Paul

Artwork by Teo Ducot

Uncuffed’s work in prisons is supported by the California Arts Council, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and donations from listeners. The producers fact-check content to the best of their ability. Content is approved by an information officer.

Season 14 - Episode 25