Post on 19-Jan-2016
description
Chapter 15
Document and HandwritingAnalysis
“The handwriting on the wall may be a forgery”
—Ralph Hodgson, British poet
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 2Chapter 15
Document Analysis
That an expert analyst can individualize handwriting to a particular person.
What types of evidence are submitted to the document analyst.
Three types of forgery. How to characterize
different types of paper.
Students will learn:
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 3Chapter 15
Document Analysis
Students will be able to: Analyze handwriting using
12 points of analysis. Detect deliberately disguised
handwriting. Detect erasures and develop
impression writing. Design an experiment using
paper chromatography to determine which pen altered a note.
List safeguards against the counterfeiting of U.S. currency.
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 4Chapter 15
Questioned Documents
Involves the examination of handwriting, ink, paper, etc. to ascertain source or authenticity
Examples include letters, checks, licenses, contracts, wills, passports (basically, any written or printed material one would encounter in daily, social or business activities)
Investigations include: verification, authentication, characterizing papers, pigments, and inks
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 5Chapter 15
Questioned Documents
Analysis is not limited to paper documents.May also include writings or other markings
found on walls, windows, doors, or any other object
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 6Chapter 15
Related Fields Historical Dating—the verification of age and value of a
document or object
Fraud Investigation—focuses on the money trail and criminal intent
Paper and Ink Specialists—date, type, source, and/or catalogue various types of paper, watermarks, ink, printing/copy/fax machines, computer cartridges
Forgery Specialists—analyze altered, obliterated, changed, or doctored documents and photos
Typewriting Analysts—determine origin, make, and models
Computer Crime Investigators—investigate cybercrime
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 7Chapter 15
Handwriting Comparisons
No two individuals write exactly alike and an individual will never write the same way twice.
Early stages (learning how to write) consist of copying standard letter forms
Nerve and motor responses become subconscious with repetition.
Individuals then develop habitual shapes and patterns that make it distinctive.
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 8Chapter 15
Handwriting Characteristics
Learned early through repetitionThe style is fairly consistentCarries over into adulthoodClass Characteristics
Over the years how to write becomes subconscious and we develop unique styles of writingThese characters make handwriting Individualized
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 9Chapter 15
Activity
When handwriting is subconscious it is very difficult to disguise.
Lets try it!
1. Page 331-332 Simulated Forgery Activity
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 10Chapter 15
Document Examination
Forensic Document Examination involves the analysis and comparison of
questioned documents with known material in order to identify whenever possible, the author or origin of the questioned document.
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 11Chapter 15
Collection the “Knowns”
Exemplar – An authentic sample used for comparison purposes such as handwriting
Obtaining an adequate number is critical in the outcome of the analysis
No two specimens are ever identical in every detail due to natural variations (the normal deviations found between repeated specimens)
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 12Chapter 15
Handwriting
Handwriting analysis involves two phases: The hardware—ink, paper, pens, pencils,
typewriter, printers
Visual examination of the writing
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 13Chapter 15
Handwriting Characteristics
Line Quality Word and Letter
Spacing Letter Comparison Pen Lifts Connecting strokes Beginning and ending
strokes
Unusual Letter Formation
Shading or pen pressure
Slant Baseline Habits Flourishes or
embellishments Diacritic Placement
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 14Chapter 15
A closer look
Line quality: Are the lines smooth, free flowing, and rhythmic, or shaky, nervous, and wavering?
Spacing of words and letters: Examine the average amount of space between words and letter formation. Is the spacing between words and letters consistent in the questioned and the known?
Ratio of relative height, width, and size of letters: What are the overall height, width, and size of letters in both the known and questioned documents? Are they consistent?
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 15Chapter 15
Closer look continued.
Pen lifts and separations: Check how the writer stops to form new letters and begin words.
Connecting strokes: Compare how capital letters are connected to lowercase letters and how strokes connect between letters and words
Beginning and ending strokes: How does the writer begin words, numbers, or letters and how are they ended?
Unusual letter formation: Look for letters written backwards, letters with tails or unusual capital letters
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 16Chapter 15
Closer look continued
Shading or pen pressure: Is there a difference in the pressure used on the downward and upward strokes?
Slant: Do the letters slant to the right or left? Baseline habits: Does it follow a straight line, move
downward or upward? Above or below the line? Flourishes or embellishment: Fancy letters, curls, loops,
circles, double loops, or underlines? Placement of diacritics: Crossing of t’s and dotting of i’s,
j’s and any other letters and punctuation marks.
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 17Chapter 15
Analysis of Your Writing Characteristics
1. You will need a long piece of your own writing or copy four paragraphs from the book.
2. Use the criteria described on pages 328-329 to comment on each of the 12 characteristics listed on page 330.
3. Be sure to address each of the 12 characteristics
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 18Chapter 15
Comparisons Overall form – size, shape, slant, proportion, and the
beginning and ending strokes of the letters are part of the writers overall form
Line features – writing speed, fluidity, and the amount of pen pressure used provides hints about line features.
Margins and format – width of margins, consistency of the spacing, and the slant between lines fit into this category
Content – Grammar, punctuation, and word choice help point the examiner toward consistent errors, repeated phrases, and other clues that hint at a writer’s ethnicity or level of education
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 19Chapter 15
Handwriting Identification
Analysis of the “knowns” with a determination of the characteristics found in the known
Analysis of the questioned or unknown writing and determination of its characteristics
Comparison of the questioned writing with the known writing. Evaluation of the evidence, including the similarities and
dissimilarities between the “questioned” and “known” writing The document examiner must have enough exemplars to
make a determination of whether or not the two samples match.
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 20Chapter 15
Handwriting Samples The subject should not be shown the
questioned document The subject is not told how to spell words or
use punctuation The subject should use materials similar to
those of the document The dictated text should match some parts
of the document The subject should be asked to sign the text Always have a witness
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 21Chapter 15
Forgery
Defined as writing or altering a document with the intent to defraud
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 22Chapter 15
Methods of Forgery
Simulated forgery—one made by copying a genuine signature (aka freehand simulation)
Traced forgery—one made by tracing a genuine signature
Blind forgery—made without a model of the signature (aka disguised writing)
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 23Chapter 15
Types of Forgery Check Fraud
Forgery
Counterfeit
Alterations
Paper Money Counterfeit
Identity Social Security
Driver’s license
Credit Cards Theft of card or number
Art—imitation with intent to deceive Microscopic examination
Electromagnetic radiation
Chemical analysis
Contracts—alterations of contracts, medical records
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 24Chapter 15
Common Clues of Forgeries
Evidence of previous drawing, which can include an underlying tracing of the words or signature
Forger’s tremors, which are fine, distinguishable markings that indicate shakiness
Uneven writing speed and pen pressure Hesitations Unusual pen lifts, where the forger continually checks his
or her handiwork Patching and retouching, fixing or adding marks Blunt beginnings and endings.
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 25Chapter 15
Document Alterations
Obliterations—removal of writing by physical or chemical means can be detected by: Microscopic examination UV or infrared (IR) light Digital image processing
[Text that doesn’t suit the criminal’s needs may simply be erased using a rubber eraser, a knife point, or other sharp instrument, sandpaper, or fingernail – anything that scrapes or rubs away unwanted marks]
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 26Chapter 15
Indentations
Indentations can be detected by: Oblique lighting Electrostatic detection apparatus (ESDA)
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 27Chapter 15
Famous Forgersand Forgeries
Major George Byron (Lord Byron forgeries)
Thomas Chatterton (Literary forgeries)
John Payne Collier (Printed forgeries)
Dorman David (Texas Declaration of Independence)
Mark Hofmann (Mormon, Freemason forgeries)
William Henry Ireland (Shakespeare forgeries)
Clifford Irving (Howard Hughes forgery)
Konrad Kujau (Hitler Diaries)
James Macpherson (Ossian manuscript)
George Psalmanasar (Literary forgery)
Alexander Howland Smith (Historical documents)
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 28Chapter 15
Forensic Linguist
Experts that look at the linguistic content (the way something is written) of a questioned document.
Language that is used can help to establish the writer’s age, gender, ethnicity, level of education, professional training, and ideology.
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 29Chapter 15
Ink
Chromatography is a method of physically separating the components of inks
Types HPLC—high-performance liquid
chromatography
TLC—thin-layer chromatography
Paper Chromatography
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 30Chapter 15
Paper Chromatography of Ink
Two samples of black ink from two different manufacturers have been characterized using paper chromatography.
Retention Factor (Rf)
A number that represents how far a compound travels in a particular solvent
It is determined by measuring the distance the compound traveled and dividing it by the distance the solvent traveled.
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 32Chapter 15
Paper
Differences Raw material Weight Density Thickness Color Watermarks Age Fluorescence
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 33Chapter 15
Pencils
Lead Hardness Scale—a traditional
measure of the hardness of the "leads" (actually made of graphite) in pencils. The hardness scale, from softer to harder, takes the form ..., 3B, 2B, B, HB, F, H, 2H, 3H, 4H, ..., with the standard "number 2" pencil being of hardness 2H.
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 34Chapter 15
Evidence
Class characteristics may include general types of pens, pencils or paper.
Individual characteristics may include unique, individual handwriting characteristics; trash marks from copiers, or printer serial numbers.
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 35Chapter 15
Counterfeiting
In 1996 the government starting adding new security features to our paper money due to the advanced copying technologies that have raised the incidences of counterfeiting. The $20 bill entered circulation on October of 2003, followed by the $50 in September of 2004, and then the $10 in September of 2005. Subtle background colors have been added along with other features to discourage counterfeiting.
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 36Chapter 15
More aboutDocument Analysis
For additional information about document and handwriting analysis, check out Court TV’s Crime Library at:
lwww.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/forensics/literary/1.htm
Or forgery cases at:www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/scams/lincoln_forgers/index.html