PRINCIPLES INVOLVED IN HANDWRITING IDENTIFICATION

PRINCIPLES INVOLVED IN HANDWRITING IDENTIFICATION

1. No two writers write exactly alike – this is the basis of all handwriting
identification. Even a single writer cannot perfectly duplicate his own handwriting.
Each writer has their own habit. The manner of holding the pen and the mental
capability of the person including the process of transmitting through the nerves, the
impulse to produce a writing, constitute a characteristic which are unique to a writer.
The mental and physical condition of a person as well as his emotional aspect affects
the process of handwriting.

2. The physical writing condition and position of the person including his
writing instrument may affect the handwriting characteristics, but they
do not confine all its identifying elements – Both illness and old age may be
reflected in handwriting. A transitory change maybe injected into handwriting by
temporary physical and mental conditions such as fatigue, nervous tension, and
intoxication or severe illness from which the writer ultimately recovers. The writing
position may also affect the qualities of handwriting.

3. A writer cannot exceed his maximum writing ability or skill without serious
effort and training applied over a period of time – No writer can spontaneously
exceed his best handwriting. Disguise for the most part is completely unpracticed and
even if it has been practiced, it will never develop to the point that the person’s
writing ability and habit are bound to bring about a less fluent and less skillful mode
of writing. Even if practiced, disguise hardly enables the writer to achieve his best
writing.

4. The combination of handwriting characteristics including those derived from

form and writing movements are essential elements of identification – The
elements of movements such as skill, rhythm, writing pressure, emphasis and
shading, location and quality of starts and stops, pen lifts and the like, are reflected in
the finished specimen. The combination of these elements describe the fundamental
writing movement.

5. Individuality in handwriting can only be determined through comparative

examination with the standard written or prepared under comparable
conditions – Writing standards are necessary to establish the individual’s normal
writing habit and to show the degree of variation common to his writing. Unless they
completely fulfill these conditions, their usefulness in any examination is limited.
Standards which do not comply with these requirements lead to erroneous
conclusions.
6. Similarity does not mean identity – There are many handwritings which are
similar to each other in appearance especially in the formation of letters, but no
identical individual handwriting characteristics, especially with regard to
subconscious unique writing characteristics and distinctly individual writing habits.

7. Complete identity means definite forgery – If a signature is geometrically

identical with one another, it points inevitably to racing; for neither the forger nor the
owner of the signature himself can produce such a perfect copy. No person writes his
signature precisely the same twice in succession. If a signature looks, on first
impression, different from other authentic signature, that fact may indicate
genuiness.

8. a. A writing was written by one person when there is a sufficient number

of identical writing habits and identical primary controlling characteristics and in
addition, the absence of divergent characteristics.
b. A writing was not written by one person when there is sufficient number
of divergent writing characteristics and the absence of identical primary
controlling characteristics.