ASISTM Project Forensic Investigations Handwriting analysis

Procedure Never work with original documents. Always make copies to work with. Original documents must be maintained for evidence. Handle original documents as little as possible. Keep them protected in archival sleeves or folders. Any testing for fingerprints must be done after the handwriting and document analysis.

Characteristics Handwriting experts look at 12 characteristics of a person’s writing. They try and compare a sample of the suspect’s writing to a known original.

On first glance the forgery is quite a good copy. Original Forgery

Lets take a closer look!

Are the lines smooth or shaky? Line quality Are the lines smooth or shaky? Original Forgery

Spacing - words and letters Is the spacing size consistent?

Ratio - height, width, size Are the letters consistent in shape & size? Original Forgery

Pen lifts and separation Are the pen lifts consistent? Original Forgery

Connecting strokes Compare how letters are linked. Original Forgery

Beginning and ending strokes Are the strokes straight, curled, long? Original Forgery

Unusual letter formation Unusual letters - letters written backwards, tails Original Forgery

Shading or pen pressure Differences in shading = differences in pen pressure Original Forgery

Slant Original Is the slant or angle of the letters consistent? Forgery

Baseline habits Does the writing go below the line? Original There is a tendency for the top author (original) to write above the line while the forgery tends to be on the line. Forgery

Flourishes and embellishments Any fancy letters? Original Forgery

Diacritic placement – cross t, dot i Is the line on the “t” in proportion? Are the “i’s” dotted left or right? Original The i dot and t cross tend to the right of the letter. Forgery The i dot is varied. The t cross is even. The form of the letter t is wider at the base.

References Deslich, B & Funkhouser, J. 2005 Forensic Science for High School. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, US Writing samples from J Dook & T. Hutchison, scanned into Adobe Photoshop at 400dpi. Graphic design for slides by T. Hutchison, DUIT Multimedia, UWA