Forensics exam on Chapters 14, 15, 16, and 17 (Chapter 17)

Introduction

-Any object with handwriting or print whose source or authenticity is in doubt may be referred to as a questioned document.

-Document examiners apply knowledge to recognize and compare the characteristics of questioned and known authentic writings.

-The gathering of documents of known authorship or origin is critical to the outcome of the examination.

-The uniqueness of handwriting makes this type of physical evidence one of definitive individual characteristics.

Questioned Documents

-Contracts

-Medical records

-Probate documents

-Checks• Consent forms

-Deeds• Receipts

-Currency

-Graffiti

-Anonymous notes

-Threatening communications

-Suicide notes

-Birth certificates

-Passports

-ID cards

-Threat letters and bomb threats

-Incriminating notes and letters

Graphology Experts

-Profiling

-Personnel selection

-Threat assessment

-Statement analysis

-Jury screening

-State of mind

Forensic Document Examination (FDE) Experts

-Handwriting authentication/ identification

-Print process methods

-Ink/paper analysis

-Alterations

-Counterfeiting

Graphology Part 1

-Letter Slope: right; outgoing, left; shy, straight; mostly independent

-Line Slope: Rising: optimistic and energetic. Falling: worried, lack of confidence. Straight: self-controlled, reliable

-Flow (word connection): all connected: rational, logical. Some connected: imaginative, depends on hunches and intuition. Few connected: not always practical

-Pressure: heavy pressure: healthy, forceful. Light pressure- physically weak.

Graphology Part 2

Writing Specific Letters:

-"T": This letter is one of the keys in analyzing handwriting. Notice how the "t" is crossed.

*Long line: overly aggressive

*Short line: fixated on ideas

*Thick line: wants to be in charge

*Thin line: timid, weak will

-"I": How is the "i" dotted?

*Dot is high above stem: focuses on tiny details instead of bigger picture

*Dot close to stem: doesn't share easily

*Dot centered above stem: overly-precise

Dot to the right of stem: tends to act quickly or hastily Dash - like dot: anxious

*Circle dots: stubborn, fussy

*No dot: reckless, poor memory

Forensic Document Examination (FDE)

-No two individuals write exactly alike.

-Many factors comprise the total character of a person's writing(extrinsic and intrinsic).

-The early stages of learning handwriting are characterized by a conscious effort to copy standard letter forms.

-However, as writing skills improve, nerve and motor responses associated with the act of writing become subconscious.

-The unconscious handwriting of two different individuals can never be identical.

Signature

Signature: Most people develop and practice a signature, which may not be like their normal handwriting. A signature can be a personal "stamp" and often reveals what a person thinks he or she is like (or would like to be).

Variations in Handwriting

-Variations are expected in angularity, slope, speed, pressure, letter and word spacing, relative dimensions of letters, connections, pen movement, writing skill, and finger dexterity.

-Other factors to consider include the arrangement of the writing on the paper, such as margins, spacing, crowding, insertions, and alignment.

-Spelling, punctuation, phraseology, and grammar can be personal and help to individualize the writer.

-The writing style of one individual may be altered beyond recognition by the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Variations in handwriting

-No single handwriting characteristic can in itself be taken as the basis for a positive comparison. Why?

-The final conclusion must be based on a sufficient number of common characteristics between the known and questioned writing samples.

-"There are no hard and fast rules for a sufficient number of personal characteristics; it is a judgment call made by the expert examiner in the context of each case."

Handwriting Exemplars

-The collection of an adequate number of known writings (exemplars) is most critical for determining the outcome of a handwriting comparison.

-Known writing should contain some of the words and combination of letters present in the questioned document and be adequate in number to show the range of natural variations in a suspect's writing.

-The writing implement and paper should also be alike.

-The writing of dictation and several pages may serve to minimize attempts at deception and the same dictation at different times.

The Kavanaugh Calendar: Forgery Features

-Lifts

-Stops

-Hesitations

-Patching/retouching

-Slow, drawn line quality

-Unnatural tremor

-guidelines

Typewriters and Printing Devices Part 1

-The two requests most often made of the examiner in connection with the examination of typewriters and printing devices are:

-Whether the make and model of the typewriter and printing devices used to prepare the questioned document can be identified

-Whether a particular suspect typewriter or printing device can be identified as having prepared the questioned document

-In order to do this, the individual type character's style, shape, and size are compared to a complete reference collection of past and present typefaces.

Typewriters and Printing Devices Part 2

-Fax Machines: TTI (transmitting terminal identifier). Font is determined by the sending machine. Number of characters, their style and position are compared using a database search. The American Society of Questioned Document Examiners maintains one such database

-Computer Printers: requires extensive analysis to determine specific printer technology and ink type.

-Printer technology: impact or nonimpact via toner application.

-Ink jet and laser are nonimpact.dot-matrix uses impact

Characteristics From Use

-Transitory patterns arising from debris or extraneous material in the printer are useful for imparting individual characteristics to the document

-As is true for any mechanical device, use of a printing device will result in wear and damage to the machine's moving parts.

-These changes will occur in a fashion that is both random and irregular, thereby imparting individual characteristics to the printing device.

-Another area of investigation relates to the typewriter ribbon, which may contain type impressions.

Alterations

-Document examiners must deal with evidence that has been changed in several ways, such as through alterations, deletions, and obliterations.

-Erasures by rubber erasers, sandpaper, razor blade or knife to remove writing or typing disturb the fibers of the paper and are readily apparent when examined with a microscope.

-If an alteration is made to a document with ink differing form the original, it can sometimes be detected due to differences in the luminescence or fluorescence properties of the molecules that make up the specific ink.

-Obliteration of writing by overwriting or crossing out to hide the original writing can be revealed by infrared radiation, which may pass through the upper layer of writing while being absorbed by the underlying area.

Other Methods of Analysis

-Infrared photography and reflecting light at different angles are sometimes successfully used to reveal the contents of a document that has been accidentally or purposely charred in a fire.

-In certain situations, indented writings (partially visible depressions underneath the visible writing) have proved to be valuable evidence.

-Applying an electrostatic charge to the surface of a polymer film placed in contact with a questioned document will visualize indented writings.

Summary of Ink/Paper Comparisons

-A study of the chemical composition of the ink used on documents may verify whether or not known and questioned documents were prepared by the same pen; and the paper itself may also be analyzed.

-A nondestructive approach to comparing ink lines is accomplished with a visible-light, or UV microspectrophotometer.

-High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is also suitable for ink comparisons.