A request to inspect criminal records in the database of the Israeli Police
Who can receive a criminal record printout?
Information regarding a criminal record is provided only to the person requesting for himself / herself (the “applicant”) but usually not to third parties. The applicant for a printout of his criminal record, “Rishum Plili” in Hebrew, must identify himself with an Israeli ID only. Neither a driver’s license nor a passport is an acceptable form of identification.
There are a few exceptions where a third party can receive a printout for another applicant: These exceptions are: if the applicant is sick and cannot come to a police station himself, if the applicant is a resident of the occupied territories, the applicant is not currently in Israeli soil or if the applicant is a minor.
In the above cases, a valid power of attorney must be produced and the person so empowered must sign a document stating that the information provided by the police will be given to the person described in the criminal record. There is no need for a power of attorney if a parent requests the information for a minor child.
With the exception of applications by foreigners, the printout is provided on the spot and free of charge but it is time consuming and the police station is not a “friendly” area you would like to spend your time if you don’t have to.
What information is contained in the printout?
The criminal record is divided into three parts, insofar as there is any record to be provided:
- Criminal convictions and other court decisions regarding any prior criminal cases
- Any pending police record or ongoing investigation
- Investigation files already closed
No criminal record to be reported
In this case, the printout will consist of only one page, and will be accompanied by a “one page only” statement.
To whom this information is provided and why
The information is intended solely for the applicant, to enable him to request changes; such as the erasure of a certain record if this possibility is provided by law.
A third party asking for your criminal record is considered a criminal offense.
Exceptions
The right to receive a person’s criminal record is given to some third parties. For example, if a third party such as a tribunal, secret service, foreign embassy, etc., asks for a criminal record, the police will provide one directly to that third party, but not to the person who is the subject of the criminal record.
The reality
It is well-known that various organizations and employers, and various entities that are not among the bodies entitled by law to receive one’s criminal information, use the right you have to receive a printout of your own information and require you to provide it, for example, as a condition of employment or a condition of acceptance in a certain “yishuv”, etc.
In addition, there are some public bodies entitled by law to receive your criminal information from the police, but they must request this directly from you. In this way, they may get more information from you according to the scope of information they are entitled to receive by law.
Any third party who asks you to provide such information is treated as someone who committed a criminal offence under Section 22 of the law and is liable to prosecution, even if you consented. The very fact of asking for such information from you is a criminal act.
A non-forgiving society
We are a non-forgiving society in many ways. To erase a criminal record is not only extremely difficult, even when the application is handled by a very good lawyer, but is also very expensive.
Many people will not find a job or will not be accepted in a certain “closed community” because of trivial offenses committed years before, even while still a minor or still a foreigner living abroad (before becoming an “oleh”).
This is just one example to illustrate why one’s criminal record is mainly one’s own business and should be kept confidential.
