OK, just saw the trailer for PB Season 5. Wow!
[Show spoiler]Very cool that Scofield is still alive! I honestly thought he had died at the end of S4; or, to be exact, had sacrificed himself (by getting electrocuted) during PB: The Final Break so he could break out his wife from prison.
So, since he is still alive & if the writers/producers of the show are keeping with the continuity that was established in S4, presumably this is what occurred:
Scofield somehow survived the supposed electrocution when breaking his wife out of prison, and was captured by the prison authorities, who didn't let on that they had him. Or, maybe he escaped somehow, but couldn't rejoin his wife & Lincoln for whatever reason. The recording they saw he made where he said something to the effect of, "If you see this recording, it means I'm dead" etc. made us think he was dead - which was obviously not the case. And, maybe he made his family think he was dead to protect them....i.e., maybe he had to stay "under cover" because otherwise he would unintentionally lead the authorities back to them?!
So, in S5 he's back in prison in a foreign country - though it's unclear why he's there or how long he's been there.
Also, obviously somehow the brain disease he had must be cured - or else he would have died somehow in the intervening years (even if he hadn't been captured).
In any case, it will be interesting to see if S5 is a full season (21-22 episodes) or a partial season (12-13 episodes). Either way, based on the trailer I'm sure it will be great!