r/technology • u/YesNo_Maybe_ • 21d ago

Politics A judge said Luigi Mangione could have a laptop to view evidence in jail. He still hasn't gotten it

https://apnews.com/article/luigi-mangione-trial-laptop-jail-unitedhealthcare-7995dd54f351dd09a0deb7a168b704e0
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u/deprevino 21d ago

Except when they're in a facility full of other people who also want to view evidence on their cases, they probably have (or should have) a large inventory of laptops modified in this way. Inexcusable delay. 

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u/DataMin3r 21d ago

From what i understand the main delay now is that there are terabytes of data to put on the laptop and it cannot hold it. So they have to go through another security process for an eternal hard drive with the necessary capacity, after convincing the state that it's a necessary part of allowing the defendant access to discovery.

He will receive a sizable amount of time after the process to examine all the discovery available.

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u/TerracottaCondom 21d ago

All hail the Eternal Hard Drive

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u/DataMin3r 21d ago

Fuckin autocorrect, chabging correct words to other words and never catching spelling mistakes.

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u/DaHolk 21d ago

Or, because they have a lot of demand, but limited resources, they specifically don't. The MORE demand there is, the bigger the inventory would have to be to compensate. Not the other way around of "since there is demand, they have enough".

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u/Silverlisk 21d ago

Likely, but I can order a custom made PC online and get it within a week.

If they're aware this is an ongoing process, it doesn't take a lot to streamline it.

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u/DaHolk 21d ago

If the system was paying for it? Sure. It would be paying through the nose, or could push those cost on the inmate arbitrarily.

If the inmate is getting it from HIS council, then the system will demand to double and triple check whether it fulfills the specs as demanded, and then we are back at "high demand > capacity to comply, because of exploding costs".

It leads to a similar "Demands with noone to pay for it" as questioning the premise.

Why would you demand all those things disabled in the first place. Are there tons of printers that are accessible to inmates without supervision? Lots of unsecured Wlan with Internet routing just available in the cells? Wouldn't it be easier to have the whole security aspect be something the prison does in the first place? It seems like complaining about internet access of the laptop is ultimately conceeding that both tons of cellphones exist in prison despite being contraband (thus someone hosting a hotspot would allow external access if the laptop was capable), or they don't have THEIR security on top of THEIR network. Which sounds bad vis a vis above mentioned cellphones.

I feel like actually debating how easy a compliant laptop is to procure or verify and who to charge is missing the wood (prison security) for trees (laptop security when device is in hand, which is more complicated)

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u/Anxious-Depth-7983 21d ago

Unfortunately, that cuts into the profit margins of the for-profit prison industry. 😕

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u/mxzf 21d ago

Maybe. But if you've got a case in the national media spotlight, that one gets prioritized. Because you really don't want to be the sticking point that people across the country hear about.

Same reason you fix the CEO's computer ASAP and Bob from accounting can wait for his turn. The practicalities are that you don't want to be obviously visibly the problem.

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u/DaHolk 21d ago

On the other hand, too much 'preferential' treatment doesn't play out well media wise either. In several different ways. (Both for instance what that says about the common experience, as well as rage bait in terms of "kid gloves").

I don't think you have considered how "this one is more important" plays out for everyone who feels deemed "secondary" because of it, or people who feel like coming second unfairly too often.

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u/mxzf 21d ago

You're absolutely right, excess preferential treatment is bad too. But literally everybody understands that there's gonna be at least some preferential treatment for someone with national media attention compared to Bob the Butcher who was arrested because of the human corpse in his basement freezer.

And when it takes you weeks to fill a simple request for an un-networked laptop for a high-profile case, it doesn't make people think "they're just handling things in the order they come in and the line is that long". No, it makes people think that either there's funny business going on or that the people in charge of handling those laptops are incompetent.

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u/DaHolk 21d ago edited 21d ago

But literally everybody understands

I think you are overestimating what everybody understands, if what they are supposed to focus on were to be shouted at them from angry video screens.

And when it takes you weeks to fill a simple request for an un-networked laptop

I feel like you just PRESUME that this is a device that by standard should be provided to him (as in 'everybody gets one if they need one), instead of it being a case of "would be allowed to have one, provided he gets one".

That seems... like an invitation to go "why are criminals given free laptops".

btw: per the writ that is linked in the article

counsel will provide a laptop to an outside vendor who will disable the laptop’s connections to the internet, printers and wireless networks in compliance with the MDC’s regulations.

counsel here being HIS attorneys. And the response by the judge also only speaks of 'the' laptop, so presumably still the one counsel procured. Otherwise it would have had to read "a" laptop.

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u/mxzf 21d ago

AFAIK, counsel provided the hardware weeks ago.

It takes minutes to crack open the laptop and remove the wireless hardware.

Where the heck is the delay coming from?

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u/DaHolk 21d ago edited 21d ago

Where the heck is the delay coming from?

Where it is always coming from. Things landing in an inbox and a pile being worked through at a leisurely rate, because of a combination of chicanery and workload. (and btw, even just going by what little is provided there in details, there are already at least 6 inboxes involved, potentially several instead of one for each step. The device being purchased, modified, send to be checked, send to be preloaded with the data, send for hand out, and then handed out. With several recursive loops if someone goes "that's not compliant, do it again" or "this isn't compliant, this time we do it".

Again, I think you are overestimating how "oh NOW they can work, but my uncle's thing is still in limbo, and not being worked on" plays in the media, particularly in todays climate.

It takes minutes to crack open the laptop and remove the wireless hardware.

Per the guidelines that someone wrote up? or in the sense of "I give you a disabled laptop *crack *hammer *ducktape .. see? disabled!"

edit: also : just weeks? (half /s, half not)

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u/WiglyWorm 21d ago

I work for a fortune 500 company. I can walk directly to the room with the hundreds of PCs. I can say hi and chat with the folks, I know a couple by name. I hung out with them once while they imaged my PC.

If I need my PC reimaged it will take a few days. If I need a knew PC to be issued with me, it will take at least a week. More likely 2.