Document Analysis

The work of the document examiner involves the examination of handwriting and typescript to determine the source or authenticity of a questioned document.

The document examiner will use the following techniques for a document in question: Visual comparison of words and letters Microscopy Photography Chromatography

The examiner is responsible for uncovering the following? Overwriting Erasures Crossing out of words Reconstructing written contents of charred or burned paper Uncover the meaning of indented writings found on a paper pad after the top sheet has been removed.

Any object that contains handwritten or typewritten markings whose source or authenticity is in doubt may be referred to as a questioned document (any document about which some issue has been raised or that is the subject of an investigation).

Examples of objects: Letters, checks, driver’s licenses, contracts, wills, voter registrations, passports, petitions, even lottery tickets. Documents written on paper are not the only objects questioned: Writings or other markings found on walls, windows, doors, mirrors, or other objects.

Document examiners, use no scientific formulas for identifying the authors of writings. They do however utilize known authentic writings for comparison purposes.

The uniqueness of handwriting makes this type of physical evidence, like fingerprints, one of few definitive individual characteristics available to the investigator.

Handwriting Comparisons Document experts continually testify to the fact that no two individuals write exactly alike. This is not saying that no two people will have similar markings in their handwriting. If a signature is found to be exactly the same, this is a strong indicator of forgery.

Tracing a signature is a sure sign of forgery.

Individual variations are associated with mechanical, physical, and mental functions. Variations in writing are with angularity, slope, speed, pressure, letter and word spacings, relative dimensions of letters, connections, pen movement, writing skill, and finger dexterity.

Also variations in arrangement of the writing on the paper may be distinctive: margins, spacing, crowding, insertions, alignment. Also spelling, punctuation, phraseology, and grammer can be individualized.

In a problem involving the authorship of handwriting, all characteristics of both the known and questioned document must be taken into consideration and compared. Dissimilarities between the two writings are a strong indication of two writers, unless the differences can logically be taken into account by the facts surrounding the preparation of the documents.

The final conclusion for a document must be based on a sufficient number of common characteristics between the known and questioned document. There is no rule for a sufficient number of common characteristics that is based on the expert examiner.

Difficulties may arise when the examiner is presented with questioned writings containing only a few words, all deliberately written in crude, unnatural form or all very carefully written and thought out so as to disguise the writer’s natural style- a situation usually encountered with threatening or obscene letters.

The document examiner must also be aware the fact that writing habits may be altered beyond recognition by the influence of drugs or alcohol.

To Eliminate Deception Require several pages of writing Write from dictation Do not show the suspect the questioned document or give direction on spelling or punctuation Write the desired text at least three times Combine signature with other writing

Supreme Court Cases Gilbert v. California Court upheld the taking of handwriting exemplars before counsel. Determined handwriting lies outside of the 5th Amendment protection U.S. v. Mara Court ruled that taking of handwriting samples did not constitute an unreasonable search and seizure (4th Amendment)

Alterations, Erasures and Obliterations The most common ways to alter a document is to erase, sandpaper, or use a razor blade or knife to remove writing or typing. This creates a disturbance in the upper fibers of the paper and is apparent under a microscope The original writing may not be visible but ink might still remain on the paper

Inks - Infrared Luminescence Some inks when exposed to blue-green light, will radiate infrared light If an alteration is made with a different ink than the original, it can be detected Used to reveal erased writing Used to view what might have been written and than crossed out (if the pens are different inks) Used to recover writing from a burned or charred document