In this unflinching episode, we confront a decades-old injustice wrapped in floodwaters, federal dollars, and a falsely accused man—James Scott, who has spent over 31 years in prison for allegedly sabotaging a levee in West Quincy, Missouri, during the catastrophic flood of 1993.

📌 Record shows Missouri received from $300 million to over $1.2 billion in FEMA funds following the disaster—but only because the levee break was classified as vandalism, not a natural event.
📌 The total flood damage exceeded $15 billion across the Midwest, yet Missouri’s claim rested on pinning the break on one man instead of failing infrastructure.
📌 James Scott became the scapegoat—convicted under questionable jurisdiction for an act on federal land along the Missouri River.
📌 Engineering experts and Corps of Engineers insiders had long warned of structural weakness in the levee. But when billions were on the line, truth became expendable.
📌 Even worse: despite a 1994 law reducing life sentences to 30 years, James Scott remains unparoled, still serving a 50-year sentence—with no justifiable reason under current law.

This is more than a miscarriage of justice. It’s a case of government fraud, federal fund exploitation, and the sacrifice of a man’s life to cover political and bureaucratic failures.

This is not just about one man—it’s about a nation’s silence bought with FEMA disaster relief money.

In this episode, Resilience2Redemption Host Madeline-Michelle: Carthen interview Dena Knotz, President of Collectively Changing Corrections (CCC), an organization dedicated to advocating for the rights of incarcerated individuals in Missouri.

Dena shares her experiences fighting against cruel and unusual punishment and the challenges her team faces while assisting families with loved ones in prison. Amidst her efforts, Dena and CCC have recently found themselves at odds with the Missouri Department of Corrections (MODOC), resulting in a ban from essential communication platforms like Securus and JPay for 60 days.

Join us as we dive deep into the struggles of prison reform, the importance of advocacy, and the resilience needed to stand up against the system.

In this thought-provoking episode, Resilience2Redemption Host Madeline-Michelle: Carthen interview prisoner advocate Mark A. Jones to explore a critical and often overlooked question: What is the real experience of confinement, and how does it compare to what the law says it should be?

Together, they reflect on:

• The emotional and spiritual toll of confinement

• The disconnect between legal protections of due process and its reality vs. institutional practice

• Stories of resilience and humanity within broken systems

• What chaplains, caregivers, and society as a whole must begin to ask

This conversation is not about policy headlines. It’s about the people impacted and the deeper truths we often miss. Whether you're in the legal field, ministry, advocacy, or simply seeking to understand more deeply, this episode offers a reflective and human-centered perspective on confinement in today’s justice system.

From within the razor-wired walls of Missouri’s South Central Correctional Center (SCCC), Mark A. Jones stands as a defiant voice against a justice system that has long forgotten its oath. With unwavering conviction, he exposes the silent yet deadly erosion of due process, calling out a corrupted alliance between judges and prosecutors who use secretive hand signals—a perverse form of backroom justice—to manipulate court proceedings and betray the rule of law.

These clandestine gestures aren’t just unethical; they’re unconstitutional. They silence truth, bury innocence, and uphold a system designed to convict, not to correct. Mark speaks on what many fear to admit: that courtrooms have become performance stages, where outcomes are often pre-decided and defendants are treated as expendable statistics.

This betrayal is protected by the insidious doctrine of qualified immunity, which shields public officials from consequences even when their actions blatantly violate civil rights.

Mark insists it’s time to dismantle qualified immunity, to hold judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement to the same legal standards as the people they condemn. “No one should be above the law, especially not those who swear to uphold it,” he declares.

What happens when the law promises dignity, but reality delivers silence, shadows, and survival? In this soul-searching episode, Chaplain Madeline-Michelle: Carthen talk with Mark A. Jones to explore the deep and often hidden gap between the legal standards of confinement and the lived experiences of those inside.

Together, they unpack the spiritual, emotional, and human cost of confinement—asking not for politics, but for presence. With compassion and curiosity, this conversation invites listeners to hear what is often unheard and to see beyond the bars.

This isn’t a policy debate—it’s a pastoral moment. One that reminds us: systems may confine, but they cannot define the soul. Pray for Mark A. Jones for the persecution he is enduring at SCCC for speaking out as he consent to make the public aware of the conditions behind the walls.

Sunny is a mother fighting for justice for her son, Zachery, who was wrongfully accused of making a phone threat, allegedly violating MODOC policies. Despite a phone call with her son that contradicts the official investigative report, MODOC investigator ignored her efforts to correct the record.

Her persistent appeals for a fair investigation were met with resistance and silence. She went as far as requesting Sunshine law to retrieve the recorded phone call with her and and son to confirm there were no threats made about anyone on behalf of her son. The recording has been ignored.

The case was closed without resolution, and Sunny’s calls for accountability remain unanswered. She refuses to accept this injustice. Her fight is not just for her son’s truth but for transparency and accountability in a system that continues to silence the voices of those who seek justice. Sunny will not stop until Zachery’s story is heard and the truth comes to light.

Sirrena Buie is a mother on a relentless quest for justice after her son, Kendric Buie, was killed in a Georgia federal prison in 2017. Just one day before his planned transfer, Kendric’s life was stolen from him, and the prison system has provided no answers, only silence. Sirenna has fought tirelessly against a system that refuses accountability, facing cover-ups and indifference at every turn.

Her fight is not just for Kendric—it’s for every family left in the dark, every voice that has been ignored. She is a mother, unwavering in her pursuit of the truth, demanding justice, transparency, and accountability for her son and countless others. Sirrena’s story is one of love, resilience, and an unyielding demand for justice that will never be silenced.

Trapped in a protective custody cell where temperatures soar to 85–90 degrees, Mark A. Jones—alongside his cellmate and others in the Protective Custody wing—is enduring a crisis the system refuses to acknowledge. A man with a diagnosed sleep disorder, Mark relies on a C-PAP machine just to survive the night. But the stifling heat and rising humidity make it impossible to use without moisture flooding his mask, risking suffocation instead of sleep. Even with a fan, the air is unbearable. The ventilation is broken. And though parts for the AC have finally arrived, there is still no relief—no clear timeline, no accountability, and no urgency to address this life-threatening neglect.

This isn’t just discomfort.
This is cruel and unusual punishment.
This is a violation of due process and basic human rights.

Mark has no voice on the inside. So we become that voice on the outside. Until justice is no longer delayed—or denied.