SOLIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY-COLLEGE OF CRIMINOLOGY

Questioned
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Examination

LESSON FIVE: HANDWRITNG IDENTIFICATION AND EXAMINATION

HANDWRITING - It is the result of a very complicated series of facts, being used as whole, combination of certain forms of visible mental
and muscular habits acquired by long, continued painstaking effort. Some defined handwriting as “visible speech.”
I. KINDS OF WRITINGS:
A. Cursive – connected; writing in which one letter is joined to the next.

B. Script – separated or printed writing.

C. BLOCK – all CAPITAL LETTERS.

PRINCIPLES OF IDENTIFICATION
1. No two witers write exacty alike.
2. The Physical writing condition and position of the person including his writing instrument may affect the handwriting characteristics but thy
do not confine all its identity elements.
3. A writer cannot exceed his maximum writing ability or skill without serious effort and tranining over a periosd of time.
4. The combination of handwriting chracteristics including those derived from form and writing movememnts are essential elements of
identification.
5. Individuality in handwriting can only be determined through comparision examination with standard written or prepared under comparable
conditions.
6. Similarity does not mean identity
7. Complete Identity means forgery
8. Sufficiency of specimen
a. Writing was written by one person when there is as uffiecient number of identical writing habits and indentical primary controlling
characteristics and in addition, the absence of divergent characteristics.
b. Writng was not written by one person when there is a sufficent number of divergent writng characterisctics and the absence of
identical primary controlling chracteristics.
Take Note:
Is handwriting/signature identification an “exact science”?
In the hand of a qualified examiner operating under proper conditions, identification by means of handwriting/signature is certain. Proper
conditions include:
1. sufficient questioned writing
2. sufficient known writing
3. sufficient time
4. use of scientific instruments
 SOLIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY-COLLEGE OF CRIMINOLOGY

III. PHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS OF HANDWRITING

In writing the pen functions as an extension of the hand. The fingers transmit to the paper, the directive impulse and the variation in muscular
tension that according to the nature of tie writer's nervous organization occur during the act or writing. This center near the motor area of the cortex
is responsible for the finger movement involved in handwriting. The importance of this center is that when it becomes diseased as in a graphic, one
loses the ability to write although he could still grasp a fountain pen, ball pen or pencil. Thus, the ability or power to hold a fountain pen or pencil to
form symbols and words can be said to emanate from its cortical center.

Two Groups of Muscles Involve in Handwriting:

1. extensor muscles - push up the pen to form the upward strokes
2. flex muscles which push the pen to from the downward strokes.

Generally speaking, four groups of muscles are employed in writing - those which operate the joints of the fingers, wrist, elbow, and shoulder.
The delicate way in which the various muscles used in writing work together to produce written form is known as motor coordination.

CAUSES OF VARIATION
1. Function of some external condition i.e. influence of the available space.
2. Abnormal conditions such as physical injury, toxic effects, inebriation's, emotion and deception.
3. Position of letter - all the letters are to be found initially, medially, and finally. The fact of a different position, especially in combination with
another and particular letter, may modify any of them in some way or another.

IMPORTANCE OF VARIATION
1. Personal variation encountered under normal writing conditions is also a highly important element of identification. The qualities of personal
variation include both its nature and its extent. It becomes necessary to determine the amount, extent, and exact quality of the variations.
2. It is improbable that the variety and extent of the variation in handwriting will be exactly duplicated in two individuals that such a coincidence
becomes practically impossible and this multitude of possible variations when combined is what constitutes individuality in handwriting.
3. With a group of signatures of a particular writer, certain normal divergence in size, lateral spacing and proportions actually indicate
genuineness. Variation in genuine writing is ordinarily in superficial parts and in size, proportions, degree of care given to the act, design,
slant, shading, vigor, angularity, roundness and direction of stroke.

Take Note: “The most common error in the identification of handwriting is due to the fact that the evidence of actual forgery is executed on
the ground that there is variation in genuine writing.”

DEVELOPMENT OF HANDWRITING OF AN INDIVIDUAL

1. Children learn writing by following the school copy or model.
2. After acquiring some degree of skill the children no longer follow the school model.
3. As speed increases, conscious design and regularity begin to break down.
4. In the course of trial and error, modification are made, simplification and elaborations, addition and omissions occur.
a. The writing pattern of each child embodies unique combinations of such deviation from the standard letter forms or school model, and
becomes his personal habits.
b. Although thousands learn the same system and that the natural result is identity, but facts show that it is not because those
who were taught the same system or school copy a class of writers, but such impairs does not by any means produce a slavish
uniformity.
c. Variation begins as soon as writing begins and continues until each writer in the way that seems best and easiest to him.

VI. SCHOOL COPYBOOK FORM (school model) - refers to the standard of handwriting instruction taught in particular school. Classes of copybook
depend on the standard school copy adopted by a writer.

SYSTEMS of Early American Handwriting

1. Old English round hand - an Italian hand popular in 1840.

2. Modified round hand - early edition of the Spencerian, and the Payson, Dunton, and Scribners copybook - 1840 -1860.
3. Spencerian - there is simplification by the omission of extra strokes and flourishes. And a general tendency toward plainer letters than the
preceding system, some of which were very ornate - 1860-1890.
4. Modern Vertical writing 1890-1900
5. The arm movement writing - the manner or method of writing, instead of the form alone is especially emphasized.

Out of these five divisions of early handwriting, the modern commercial hand systems developed. This is characterized by free
movement. And the forms adopted are best suited to easy rapid writing. These are the Zaner and Blozer system of arm movement writing and the
Palmer system of American arm movement. The last great revolution in American handwriting was the adoption of vertical writing which was in fact a
reversion to the old system of slow but legible writing. The connecting stroke is based on the small circle and is the most distinctive "round hand" ever
 SOLIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY-COLLEGE OF CRIMINOLOGY

devised. It was very slow compared with writing based on the narrow ellipse like the Spencerian in which all connections were almost points instead
of broad curves. Most commercial handwritings tend toward straight connecting strokes and narrow connections.

A. SOME MODERN SCHOOL MODEL FORMS

1. Palmer Copybook
2. D’Nealian Copybook
3. British Copybook
4. French Copybook
5. German Copybook

B. SIGNIFICANCE OF SCHOOL COPY FORMS or System Characteristics as Basis in the Identification of Handwriting

1. Similarities of form are not indicative of identity unless they concern unusual form or what are termed deviations from the normal.
Similarities are bound to occur in different writings but such similarities exist only in letters which are normal in form, the fact bears no
significance.
2. All differences in form are indicated of non-identity
3. The likeness in form maybe general and simply indicate the class or genus or the difference that does not differentiate maybe nearly
superficial.
4. In many systems of writing, the date and influences of system of writing have an important bearing on the question of genuine or of forgery
and in other cases, the presence of European characteristics in handwriting is a vital and controlling fact.

C. IMPORTANCE OF THE DESIGN OF THE LETTERS (System of Writing)

1. To the nationality of the writer.

2. To the system learned.
3. To the date when the writing was acquired and
4. To some of the influences that have surrounded the writer.