Professional Documents
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Lesson Five Part One
Lesson Five Part One
Questioned
Document
Examination
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
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.