Will the foolish things we did when we were 18 follow us forever? The answer is yes, absolutely. In fact, every procedure conducted vis-à-vis a citizen by the Israel Police is documented in the Criminal Registry and is not deleted from it automatically. However, there is a way to conduct a procedure to clear the registry.
The Israeli "Criminal Information Register Law" stipulates that the Israel Police shall maintain a computerized database comprising information regarding any person against whom proceedings were conducted within the framework of a criminal investigation. This registry, also known as the Criminal Record, can include criminal proceedings conducted against the person, including indictments, convictions and sentences imposed, as well as cases that ended without an indictment. It includes criminal proceedings in military Courts and criminal convictions for offenses committed while the person was a soldier, which remain in the Criminal Registry. It also includes investigation files pending before the police where a decision has not yet been made regarding whether to cease investigation and close the file or to file an indictment (files that may remain open for years, sometimes without any action from the investigative authority, and will not be closed). It also includes files closed due to lack of sufficient evidence or lack of public interest. In practice, only if an investigation was opened and subsequently closed due to "lack of guilt" (absence of culpability) will it not lead to a criminal record.
The existence of a criminal record harms a person's good name, sometimes through no fault of their own, and its mere existence can sabotage various aspects of our lives. Often, for employment purposes (for example, certain professions such as insurance agents, customs agents, real estate brokers, public vehicle drivers, manpower contractors, or investment advisors) or for obtaining citizenship or a visa (in which case a notarized translation of the criminal record to the appropriate language may be required, preferably by a notary from a firm familiar with the field), a person is requested to present a "Certificate of Good Conduct" (In Hebrew: "Teudat Yosher"). "Certificate of Good Conduct" is an old, colloquial term for a document currently referred to as a "Certification Regarding the Absence of a Criminal Record," or by its more common name - "Criminal Record."
Israeli law does not permit any unauthorized party to be exposed to the Criminal Registry or to view a person's criminal record; only the individual themselves can generate such a certificate. When a person wishes to obtain a Certificate of Good Conduct, they contact the police and generate an official document indicating the person's criminal history (if any exists) and including the items mentioned above, insofar as they exist.
In the event that a criminal record exists, a procedure can be performed to expunge it. The method of expunging the criminal record depends on the nature of the entry - whether it is a criminal record due to a criminal conviction or due to a closed police file. While in the case of a conviction, a more complex procedure exists requiring an appeal to the President of the State of Israel, regarding a criminal record resulting from a closed police file, several different paths exist depending on the circumstances of the case. These include appealing to the Head of the Investigations and Intelligence Division, submitting a motion to change the grounds for closing the file to the party who decided on the closure (or their supervisor), or appealing to the Court in certain cases.
Either way, it is very important to conduct the criminal record expungement process through an experienced criminal attorney. Conducting the wrong procedure, or conducting the procedure incorrectly, may harm the ability to carry out other proceedings later and may significantly reduce the chances of expunging the record.