The Basics of Questioned
Documents and
Handwriting Analysis
Questioned Documents 1
Scope of the Science
• Generally concerned with three
major subjects
– Hand written documents
– Mechanically generated documents
• Typewriters
• Printers
• Faxes
• Photocopiers
– Voice examinations
Questioned Document Crimes
• Forgeries
– Wills, contracts, insurance policies,
signatures
– Currency
– Antiques, old books, writings
• Ransom notes, kidnapping, and
violent crime
• Phone conversations, threats, etc.
Handwriting Analysis
• Most
questioned
document
crimes involve
some type of
handwriting
analysis
Nature of Handwriting
• Unique to an individual
– Based upon a careful communication
between brain, multiple muscles, senses,
timing, and feedback through the same
chain
• Even the same person can not exactly
duplicate his/her own style with 100%
accuracy
– Impossible to exactly duplicate handwriting
since it requires an understanding of the
process described above
External Factors
• Writing instrument
• Writing surface
• Writing situation (this creates
variety in a single individual)
• Special circumstances: drugs,
injury, stress, conscious change
Characteristics
• Handwriting contains both class
and individual characteristics
– Basic penmanship, cultural symbols, etc.
(class characteristics)
– Individual characteristics develop after
years of writing
• Best evidence is obtained when
working with the original document
Handwriting Limitations
• Requires expert analysis to work as
evidence
– Often includes use of microscopes,
cameras, and computers
• Description of Personality
– Known as “graphology”
• Considered different from questioned
documents and represents an entirely
different field of study
Graphology
Which person is crazy?
Graphology
Thomas
Edison
Dan
Rather
Adolf
Hitler
Elvis Presley
Handwriting Limitations
• Cursive vs. printed
– Can sometimes be compared if writer has
characteristics that carry over into both
forms
• Foreign Languages
– Cultural nuances of written language must
be understood
• “Diacritics” (distinguishing strokes)
• Shading of certain characters (Asian)
Handwriting Myths
• Can not determine “handedness”
• Can not determine gender
• Can not determine age
Handwriting and the Law
• (1967) Obtaining handwriting samples is
legal before lawyers are present
– Does not violate Fifth Amendment (includes self
incrimination) since it was deemed a physical
characteristic of the person
• (1973) Handwriting samples are not
considered a violation of the Fourth
Amendment (Illegal Search and
Seizure)
– Failure to comply may result in Contempt charge
Handwriting Samples
• Best to acquire a large number of samples
from a suspect (known as “exemplars”)
• The more samples available, the more the
natural variation of the suspect can be
identified
• Documents of approx. 2-3 years old are
acceptable for most adults
– Writing styles in children change much faster
• Samples can be obtained voluntarily or by
court order
Handwriting Samples
• Samples should be as alike as the
document in question
– Includes type of paper, pen/pencil, etc.
• Styles and habits can naturally change
for different types of documents and
instruments
• Samples should contain at least some
of the same words and combinations of
letters as the questioned document
Minimizing Deception
• Desired sample should be dictated
• Writer should be comfortable
without distractions
• Writer should not be shown the
questioned document or assisted
with punctuation, spelling, etc.
Minimizing Deception
• Writing instrument should be similar
to questioned document
• Dictated text should be close to
questioned document or contain
the same phrases and/or words
• Multiple uses of same words can
help establish variations
Handwriting Forgeries
• Blind
– Forger uses own handwriting
– Easiest to detect
• Simulated
– Forger copies a genuine signature
– Much harder to detect but requires considerable
effort to achieve
• Traced
– Forger traces a genuine signature
Detecting Forgeries
• Inconsistencies in handwriting style
or techniques are the key
Handwriting Analysis
• Experts
generally
examine 12
characteristics
of handwriting
to establish
authenticity
1. Line Quality
• Are lines smooth, free flowing, nervous,
shaky, wavering?
2. Spacing of Words and Letters
• Look at space between letters and
words
• Look at line margins
3. Sizes of Letters and Words
• Look at height, width and size of
letters and words
4. Pen lifts and Separations
• Check how the writer stops to form
new letters and words
5. Connecting Strokes
• How do letters connect within
words
• Connection between capital and
lowercase letters
6. Beginning and Ending Strokes
• How does the writer begin and end
words
• Are strokes straight, curled, long,
short
• Are marks made on upstroke or
downstroke
7. Unusual Letter Formation
• Look for letters written backwards
• Letters with a tail or unusual capital
letters
8. Shading or Pen Pressure
• People use different pressure with
pens vs. pencils
– Can make lines darker or wider
9. Slant
• Does writing slant left or right
• Are some letters slanted more than
others
10. Baseline Habits
• Does writing follow a straight line
• Does writing move upward or
downward
• Is writing above or below lines on
paper
11. Flourishes or Embellishments
• Are there fancy letters, curls, loops,
underlines, etc.
12. Placement of Diacritics
• Check the crossing of T’s and the
dotting of I’s for instance
• Where are crossed letters crossed
• Where are dotted letters dotted