The people’s right to know is under nationwide attack in the guise of individuals’ right to privacy.

The State of Alabama has taken privacy to the point that a mother has to sue the Department of Corrections to find out why her son died after becoming ill shortly after he arrived at a prison.

Mary Barksdale’s federal lawsuit against the state is set for trial Aug. 11.

Farron Barksdale, 32, died Aug. 20 at a Montgomery hospital, 12 days after his transfer from Limestone County Jail.

Someone inside the prison system first seemed to suggest that Mr. Barksdale suffered injuries before arriving at Kilby Correctional Facility. Then, prison officials either panicked or displayed arrogance in refusing to give details surrounding his death. Finally, a state autopsy indicated excessive heat may have played a role in his health problems.

His mother wants to know if the prison system was negligent in managing his medicines and the excessive heat inside the prison.

Mr. Barksdale received a life without parole sentence after he pleaded guilty to shooting Athens police Officer Tony Mims, 40, and Sgt. Larry Russell, 42, on Jan. 2, 2004.

Prison workers found Mr. Barksdale unconscious in a one-person cell three days after arriving at Kilby and his mother wants definitive answers, but the department argues that information does not fall under the Open Records Act.

So, in the name of privacy, a mother can’t find out why her son died because the state says she isn’t entitled to know.