My fiance never had his actual records looked at, but his phone is gone through regularly. They have a tech guy do a thorough look through every once in a while (usually if you are on the "bad" list.)

I know that my fiance's PO was not too pleased with the fact he originally had an iphone. He now has an android.

We are in Texas.

This brings up a question for me. We both have phones, and the account is in my name. How does that work if they want to look at the phone records? I know they can not come in and look at my phone because I am not on probation or a sex offender. Both of our lines are on the same bill in my name. Will that ever be an issue I wonder? I know that they have to have a warrant to look at my specific phone, but I never thought of the phone records.

Everything I've read says they have the power to ask for your records presumably looking for text messaging and possible other phone lines but in the hundreds and hundreds of stories I've read they don't. I'm presuming they're just too busy to be bothered if your on the "good" list.

My therapist is annoyed to no end that I do not have electronics restrictions and has made several comments along those lines during group. I'm on my second FPO now and can't say that either of them made a fuss over phones or computers...it helps that I live an hour away from their office!

I have had my cell phone under my sisters plan for the last 2 years, I know they have not talked to her about accessing records but i'm sure it wouldn't take much if they really wanted to.

The few stories I've read where the people got caught with one are those that left it out in the open. One guy left it in plain sight in his car and the other was on the kitchen table and yet they whined about being caught. Well duh, leave it out and what do they expect?

@cmckee Yes that does help your an hour away from the po's office and having it under your sisters plan is another layer of protection.
I've had a few probationers say, if probation is like prison without the bars just think for a moment how many cell phones, drugs and other contraband are smuggled into prisons. Sure some get caught but the smart and extremely cautious ones don't especially if everything else about them is a model person.

My son is using the crappy phone he had when he went into prison. an android. and his PO still wants to look at his phone for messages and phone calls when he sees him. That's mostly because he's an ass.

Here is the extent of the cell phone problem in prison------------

http://tinyurl.com/pnmhwrn

rewdiazepam

@rew I liken this to the war on drugs. We see the headlines, "Huge amount of drugs seized!" followed by the obligatory picture. Yet for every one of these busts there's at least 50x what they siezed running around behind their backs if not more. Whether in prison or probation a person will try to toe the line if they really want to, the smart and cautious ones get away with it while others that fumble and are careless will not. Just like the two I read about recently. One had his smartphone in plain site in his car and the other had it on the kitchen table. Well duh that's a no brainer. And then they went about whining and crying that they got caught.

@nak For the record Android is far superior to Crapple any day of the week. Apples are for eating ;)